Australian Open: Roger Federer battles past Daniel Evans to reach third round
Defending champion Roger Federer's strong run against qualifiers at Grand Slam tournaments continued with a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), 6-3 win over Daniel Evans in the second round at the Australian Open.
Federer also maintained his 100 percent record of reaching the third round at the Australian Open - 20 times in a row.
The six-time Australian Open champion has lost just once in 27 matches against qualifiers in majors, and that came to Mario Ancic at Wimbledon 17 years ago.
After two tougher-than-expected sets, Federer broke Evans' serve to take a 3-1 lead in the third set and served out the match.
The 37-year-old Federer will play either Gael Monfils or Taylor Fritz in the third round.
Meanwhile, Marin Cilic capped a 25-ace performance with a pair to serve out a second-round victory at the Australian Open, beating 81st-ranked Mackenzie McDonald of the US 7-5, 6-7 (9), 6-4, 6-4.
Cilic was the runner-up here to Roger Federer last year and is seeded No.6 this time.
Cilic hasn't lost at Melbourne Park to anyone ranked as low as McDonald since 2007.
