India, Jan. 16 -- Defending champion Roger Federer reached the Australian Open third round for a 20th straight year on Wednesday but was made to battle hard by Britain's Dan Evans before winning 7-6 (7/5) 7-6 (7/3) 6-3.
The ageless 20-time Grand Slam champion, who is gunning for a record seventh Melbourne Park title and third in a row, had breezed past Denis Istomin in the first round, but was given a much tougher examination by the world number 189.
"I think if I could have pulled away early in the match it might have been different," said the 37-year-old Swiss master who needed 2hr 35min to get past his 28-year-old opponent.
Evans, whose ranking plummeted from a career-high 41 after he was slapped with a year-long ban for testing posit...