Basel, Switzerland - Jarkko Nieminen on Wednesday set up a repeat of last year's final at the Swiss Indoors as he advanced 6-2, 6-4 over Eduardo Schwank to face holder Roger Federer in the second round. Nieminen bounced back after aggravating a thigh muscle last week in Madrid, where he had to quit his second-round match against Argentine Juan Del Potro.
But a week of rest did wonders for the 20th-ranked Finn as he dispatched Argentina's Schwank in 72 minutes.
Federer is a daunting opponent for any player, none more than Niemimen, who has lost all nine times he has faced the top-seeded Swiss.
German players went down to a trio of defeats on the day, with only qualifier Benjamin Becker managing to stay alive.
Becker overcame compatriot Andreas Beck 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals at the St Jakobshalle.
But there were losses for Germany as Belgium's Kristof Vliegen defeated Vienna champion Philipp Petzschner in the first round 6-2, 6-3 and Russian sixth seed Igor Andreev stopped Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (0-7), 7-5 in a struggle lasting for more than two and a half hours.
Andreev fired 17 aces in the victory to reach his eighth quarter- final of the season.
The Muscovite now stands 42-30 this season, but last appeared in the last eight during the week prior to the US Open.
Andreev has a history in Switzerland with two summer runner-up finishes at Gstaad on clay.
