Roger Federer breezed back into action to reach the second round of the Dubai Open with a straightforward 6-1 6-3 win over erratic Frenchman Benoit Paire on Monday. In his first match since memorably claiming his 18th grand slam title by beating Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open a month ago, the 35-year-old was immediately back in the old routine to give Paire the runaround. There was precious little resistance from the Frenchman as Swiss maestro Federer, the seven-times champion and third seed, delighted a large Centre Court crowd with flashes of brilliance.