Federer sweeps past Canas in Rome
Federer went into the match with a losing record against Canas
The world number one came through 6-3 6-3 to reach the last 16.
It was a significant win for Federer, who suffered back-to-back defeats against Canas early last year and had a 2-3 record against the Argentine.
Earlier, Andy Roddick got his clay-court season off to a solid start with a 6-1 6-4 win over fellow American and good friend Mardy Fish.