Breaking a ‘mirror’

MELBOURNE, January 16 

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 No. 189 Evans, who made a mockery of his ranking and pushed the Swiss hard throughout a high-quality duel at Rod Laver Arena.

“It feels like playing a mirror a little bit and that was my mindset going in,” 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer said of qualifier Evans, who is rebuilding his career after serving a year-long drug ban. “He has a lot of slice and more serve and volley, my size can help me a bit more.” — Reuters