Roger Federer
Roger Federer plays a backhand against Novak Djokovic in his semifinal match during Day 11 of the 2016 Australian Open. Getty

Roger Federer advanced to the third round of the 2016 Italian Open with a win over Alexander Zverev in straight sets Wednesday. It was Federer’s first victory since playing at Monte Carlo last month.

Zverev challenged Federer, but the 19-year-old fell in straight sets, 6-3 and 7-5. The world’s No. 2 player performed better than expected in his return match from dealing with a back issue. Zverev led the second set 5-4 but was unable to hold on.

Federer is scheduled to face Dominic Thiem after his second-round win, but he admitted he’s unsure if he’ll remain in the tournament. Federer is focused on getting ready for the French Open, which begins on May 22.

Federer moved up to No. 2 in the world after Andy Murray failed to defend his title in Madrid, but expectations haven't been high for the 34-year-old. He entered the tournament with worse odds than Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka and Murray.

This is just the fourth tournament in which Federer has competed in this year. He withdrew from the Madrid Open two weeks ago, and he hasn’t won a title since the 2015 Swiss Indoors in November.