Federer fends off British ‘mirror’ Evans to advance

Thursday, 17 January 2019 00:39 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Melbourne (Reuters): Double defending champion Roger Federer weathered a stern test from the impressive Dan Evans and paid the British battler the ultimate compliment after prevailing 7-6(5) 7-6(3) 6-3 to reach the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.

Having thrashed Denis Istomin in his Melbourne Park opener, third seed Federer faced a different beast in world number 189 Evans, who made a mockery of his ranking and pushed the Swiss hard throughout a high-quality duel at Rod Laver Arena.

Showcasing a sturdy defence and counter-punching gamely, Evans broke Federer for the first time in the tournament, dragging the former world number one into a second tiebreak to cheer British fans after Andy Murray’s first round elimination.

But the Birmingham man lacked the edge in the clutch points while Federer was clinical.

Tiafoe announces himself with Anderson upset

Nadal shrugs off ‘slow start’ to accelerate past Ebden