Federer digs deep to beat Istomin at Swiss Indoors in Basel

17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer came back from a slow start to beat Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the second round at the Swiss Indoors tournament in Basel.

According to Sport24, Federer, now into the quarter-finals, stands provisional seventh in the field but needs strong showings this week at home and next week at the Paris Masters to ensure his passage into the year-end event which he has won six times.

The 32-year-old Swiss advanced in just under two hours, recovering after losing the first set against the Uzbek outsider, then claiming the second to level, the report said.

The third set was a true test for the 17-time grand slam winner who has had a dismal 2012 season and Federer laid down a marker as he held serve for 1-1 in the final set, winning that eight-minute game after saving four break points, the report added.

From then on, the momentum shift was complete for the Swiss favourite, who coasted into the last eight, firing a backhand winner on his first match point, according to the report.

Federer said that he started poorly, made too many errors, especially on the forehand, adding that he was risking too much and it was not paying off.

He added that he was happy to be able to turn it around, needing a match like this.