Roger Federer through to the quarter-finals of the Istanbul Open

Roger Federer plays a forehand return during his match against Jarkko Nieminen

World No. 2 Roger Federer began his maiden Istanbul Open campaign with a bang, recording a 6-2 7-5 win over Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen to enter the quarter-finals of the tournament.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion belted 9 aces as compared to Nieminen’s 0 and won a total of 65 points as compared to his opponent’s 48. The Swiss ace also converted 3 out of his 7 break points.

The win also had a significant touch to it as it was the 33-year-old’s 200th victory on clay, making him just the seventh active player to reach the landmark and the fourth after Rafel Nadal, David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo to win 200 or more tour-level matches on both hard and clay courts.

Speaking after the win, Federer expressed happiness over the win and added that he would look to make judicious use of his off day on Thursday.

“I'm happy that I won my first match ever in Turkey. In the second set Jarkko started playing better and I'm happy that I managed to close the match,” he said.

"Tomorrow I have a day off and I will enjoy and do a sightseeing trip by boat on the Bosphorus to see some more of this beautiful city,” he added.

Federer will take on Daniel Gimeno-Traver in the quarters.