Australian Open: Federer beats Evans in second round

Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer on Wednesday defeated Dan Evans of United Kingdom to enter the third round of the men's singles event at the ongoing Australian Open.

The 37-year-old registered a comprehensive 7-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory over the British qualifier in a tight contest.

Chasing his seventh title in the Melbourne Park, Federer was tested by Evans on the court as the Briton was not willing to give in easily. Playing attacking shots, Evans had almost clinched the opening set while serving at 5-4 in the tie break round. Federer, however, won the set with the help of two forehand volleys and survived the opening scare.

The second set also witnessed a grueling contest between the two players, but this time, it was Federer who got better off Evans and maintained a healthy 2-0 lead in the match.

The final set proved to be a cakewalk for the twenty times Grand Slam champion as Evans failed to pose much competition and lost with a margin of three points.

After the match, Federer praised his 28-year-old opponent for coming out at him hard and playing well on the court. "I think he played very well. It was hard to pull away, to his credit. I thought I played well," ATP quoted Federer, as saying.

Federer is likely to take on American player Taylor Fritz or France's Gael Monfils for his third round clash.

In other clashes, Marin Cilic advanced into the third round after getting past Mackenzie McDonald of America 7-5, 6-7, 6-4, 6 -4. South African player Kevin Anderson, on the other hand, bowed out of the competition after suffering a 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, 5-7 defeat at the hands of Frances Tiafoe of America.

Later, Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal will be crossing swords with Matthew Ebden of Australia in their second-round clash of the men's singles event.