Reigning champion Roger Federer was taken to five gripping sets by French nemesis Gilles Simon Wednesday before scraping into the Australian Open's third round. The world number two, defending his only remaining Grand Slam crown, was pegged back from two sets up before scoring his first-ever win over Simon, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, to stay on course for his fifth Open title.
It was a desperately close call for the 29-year-old, who holds a record 16 Grand Slam titles and only narrowly avoided his worst performance at a major in eight years, and his poorest ever Australian Open outing. Federer had lost both his previous matches in 2008 with Simon, who remains one of only three active players - along with Rafael Nadal and Britain's Andy Murray - with a winning record against the all-time Grand Slam record-holder.
Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic also had difficulties in his ethnically- charged clash with Croatia's Ivan Dodig. Djokovic, who won his only major title here in 2008, let slip a set before winning 7-5, 6-7 (8/10), 6-0, 6-2. Earlier Venus Williams bravely battled through a painful muscle strain to reach the third round, women's top seed Caroline Wozniacki finally hit form and Spain's Fernando Verdasco survived another five-set thriller.
French Open champion Francesca Schiavone needed a 16-game third set before seeing off Canada's Rebecca Marino 6-3, 5-7, 9-7, while Russian glamour girl Maria Sharapova beat France's Virginie Razzano. Meanwhile Verdasco, on the losing end of the Australian Open's longest-ever match two years ago, prevailed in five sets against Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/0), 6-0.
Elsewhere America's Andy Roddick, 28, downed Igor Kunitsyn of Russia 7-6 (9/7), 6-2, 6-3 and Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych beat Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in four. Denmark's Wozniacki, 20, shook off a troubled start to the year with a 6-1, 6-0 demolition of America's Vania King, burying 23 winners to reach the third round and join a list of impressive women's winners. Belgium's Justine Henin won 6-1, 6-3 against Briton Elena Baltacha and Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Arantxa Rus 6-1, 6-4. On Tuesday, favourite Kim Clijsters had humiliated former finalist Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-0.
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