BASEL, Switzerland -- Roger Federer made a winning return from a six-week break on Monday, beating Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-3, 6-4 at his hometown Swiss Indoors tournament.
The top-ranked Federer looked rested and refreshed after last playing Sept. 20, when he helped Switzerland beat Italy in the Davis Cup.
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"I was eager to come out and play again," Federer said. "It's especially nice to come back on tour with my home tournament where I have so many memories."
Federer broke Rochus' serve in the sixth game of the first set and fifth game of the second.
"I thought it was a good match for me. At key moments when I needed a serve, it was there," Federer said.
Federer is chasing a fourth straight title at the $2.58 million Swiss Indoors, where he once worked as a ballboy.
He will next play 51st-ranked Andreas Seppi of Italy, who rallied to beat Swiss wild-card entry Stephane Bohli 4-6, 6-1, 7-5.
Federer showed a little rustiness early on but created a break point with a forehand crosscourt winner past Rochus, with whom he won the Wimbledon boys' doubles title in 1998.
Federer's blistering forehand winner at 2-2 in the second brought another break point, which he took when Rochus netted.
Rochus saved a match point when Federer netted a forehand volley, but the defending champion took his second with a powerful serve that the Belgian returned wide.
Federer is seeded to meet No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the final. The Serb will play Germany's Andreas Beck on Tuesday.
France's Florent Serra, a lucky loser from qualifying, survived a barrage of 28 aces to beat Croatia's Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (5), 6-4.
The 6-foot-10 Karlovic has an ATP tour-leading 855 aces this year, but his second serve failed and he couldn't break Serra.
The 71st-ranked Serra will meet either fifth-seeded Radek Stepanek or Rainer Schuettler, who were scheduled to play later Monday.
