Federer two wins away from claiming No 1 spot

Tennis ace Roger Federer is just two wins away from becoming the oldest world number one.

The Swiss began his quest to return to the top spot in the ATP Rankings for the first time in over five years with a 6-1, 6-2 trimuph over Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

Federer, a two-time champion at the Dutch indoor event, will overtake Rafael Nadal at the top of the ATP Rankings if he reaches the semi-finals of the tournament.

"I think the key was to start off well and put Ruben (Bemelmans) under pressure right away and make him feel like he had to do something special," Federer said after his win here.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion will lock horns with Philipp Kohlschreiber. Federer has a 12-0 winning record against the German.

"The beginning will be crucial tomorrow, you don't want to fall behind, you want to stay focused all the way. Any lapses could mean that you get in trouble. But, I enjoy playing against Philipp (Kohlschreiber), I played really good against him at the US Open so I hope I can keep that up tomorrow night," Federer admitted.