Australian Open: Roger Federer survives scare to beat bogeyman Simon

Roger Federer survived a huge fright to scrape past bogeyman Gilles Simon 6-2 6-3 4-6 4-6 6-3 and reach the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.

Defending champion Federer had lost both his previous two meetings against Simon, but the 16-times grand slam winner just about had the measure of the Frenchman on a chilly night in Melbourne.

Federer caught fire early, the Swiss master storming into a two-set lead after 68 minutes but the magic suddenly deserted him, allowing Simon to bravely claw his way level.

Federer, tension etched all over his face, demonstrated nerves of steel, however, threading a forehand down the line to break for 4-2 in the fifth set before blasting an ace into the corner on his fifth match point three games later.