The 20-time Grand Slam champion prevailed 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 4-6 7-6 (10-8) on the Rod Laver Arena
Saturday 25 January 2020 08:10, UK
Roger Federer edged John Millman in an epic Australian Open clash which went down to a fifth set and a match-deciding tie-break.
Millman went into the third-round meeting knowing exactly what it feels like to beat Federer, after prevailing over him in four sets at the 2018 US Open.
He pushed the world No 3 all the way and capitalised on the erratic nature of Federer's output.
An unforced error count of 82 plagued the six-time Australian Open champion, but he showed his true quality when it mattered.
In the deciding tie-break, he overturned an 8-4 deficit in order to finally secure victory after four hours and three minutes. Federer will face Marton Fucsovics of Hungary in the next round.
Having seen Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka lose on the Rod Laver court before him, it would have been understandable if Federer was feeling nervous ahead of the match, particularly given his history with Millman.
From the outset it was clear that the 38-year-old was not quite as sharp as usual, struggling with his timing, while his work throughout the court lacked rhythm.
This resulted in patches of brilliance being littered by a high number of errors. In contrast, Millman was thriving under the spotlight of home support and relishing every moment.
Of Federer's 82 unforced errors, 48 of them were on the forehand side, which ironically was the stroke that he used to finally put Millman's challenge to bed and secure victory.
"It was tough. Thank God it's a super tie-breaker otherwise I would have lost this one," Federer said on court post-match.
"I think John played a great match. It came down to the wire, a bit of luck maybe.
"I had to stay so focused and take the right decisions. He kept on coming up with the goods. I thought, 'OK, I didn't play too bad'. I was getting ready to explain myself in the press conference.
"What a match. John deserved over half of this one."
In the fourth round 12 months ago, Federer came unstuck against Stefanos Tsitsipas, but this time the Greek was the hunted one as he tumbled out 7-5 6-4 7-6 (7-2) to Milos Raonic.
The big-serving Canadian has endured wretched luck with injuries over the last few years but was in supreme form. He won 88 per cent of points on his first serve, 58 per cent of second and never faced a break point
Tsitsipas had never faced the Raonic serve in the a match before and was matter of fact about it.
"It's one shot that you can get knocked down all the time," the Greek player said.
"I felt a bit stupid returning his serves. I felt like I was slow. My anticipation was not there. It's a strange game of tennis in general."
Raonic will next face 2018 finalist Marin Cilic, who is unseeded this year but enjoying a fine tournament, with his latest victory coming in five sets over Roberto Bautista Agut.
Cilic put down 76 winners against Bautista Agut and showed his fitness to come through a second successive five-set match.
This time his encounter lasted four hours and 10 minutes and improves his head-to-head against the Spaniard to 5-2.
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