Defending champion Roger Federer needed to knuckle down to end the feisty challenge of hard-hitting German Jan-Lennard Struff with a 6-4 6-4 7-6(4) win in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday.
Federer coasted through the opening sets under the lights at Rod Laver Arena but was dragged into a scrap in the third as the 55th-ranked Struff broke his serve and took the match into a tiebreak on a steamy night.
Struff saved a match point with a searing backhand down the line but fell on the second when Federer crunched a huge serve into the corner.
Federer will meet French 29th seed Richard Gasquet for a place in the last 16 as he continues his bid for a 20th grand slam title.
Simona Halep thrashes Eugenie Bouchard
Top seed Simona Halep eased fears over her fitness with a brisk 6-2 6-2 demolition of Canada's Eugenie Bouchard to reach the third round.
The world number one sprained her ankle in her first round match at Melbourne Park on Tuesday but showed no sign of restricted movement in a 65-minute romp on Margaret Court Arena.
Marching around the court like she meant nothing but business, Halep's confidence appeared to increase as she grew into the match and she broke Bouchard seven of the eight times the Canadian served.
Halep moves on to a third round encounter with American world number 76 Lauren Davies, happy to have avoided the early exits that befell her on her last two visits to Melbourne and with her tenuous grip on the number one ranking still holding.
