Defending champion Lleyton Hewitt had few problems booking his place in the second round at Halle's ATP grasscourt tournament yesterday with an easy 6-2, 6-3 win over lucky loser Leonardo Mayer.

Hewitt had been due to face French Open finalist Roger Federer in the first-round match ufffd a repeat of last year's final ufffd but the Swiss star's withdrawal on Monday saw Mayer promoted to the main draw.