Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters
MELBOURNE, Australia — Five players seeded in the top 10 had been knocked out of the Australian Open across the men’s and women’s draws on Friday, and the 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer appeared ready to join their ranks.
On the same court where Serena Williams and reigning Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka had suffered stunning defeats just hours earlier, Federer trailed by 8-4 in a first-to-10 tiebreaker at the end of the fifth set against John Millman of Australia. Federer was two points from defeat in a bruising match that had stretched past four hours, then suddenly rallied, reeling off six straight points to snatch a 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (10-8) victory to reach the fourth round.