"I was very pleased the way I played, because I always think on any surface Mario’s tough," said the 26-year-old, runner-up to Rafael Nadal in the last two finals here.

"Maybe a little tougher, of course, on a faster court, but nevertheless I’m happy with my performance."

The 12-times grand slam champion made his intentions known early on in the duel.

After breaking for 3-1 in the first set, Federer pricked Ancic’s resolve by bagging the first set with an ace.

He ended the second set in even more spectacular style. After being dragged into a furious baseline rally with Ancic, Federer stepped around a backhand and belted a forehand winner that skimmed just over the net and dipped into the far corner.

While the world number one has made a habit of producing shots that often draw gasps from the crowd, even he was particularly pleased with that effort.

"It was a beautiful forehand, especially with the pace and angle I was able to hit it," grinned Federer, who is chasing an elusive Roland Garros trophy to complete his collection of grand slam silverware.

"It happens rarely because you just need a little bit of tape or a little bit later and it’s going to go out by a long way.So I was very pleased about that one. Yeah, it’s one of the better ones."

From then on Ancic knew the writing was on the wall and simply went through the motions before suffering a fifth successive defeat at the hands of Federer.