Roger Federer digs deep to reach Basel second round

Basel, Oct 24 (AFP) Roger Federer had to fight hard to hold off Serbia's Filip Krajinovic on Tuesday, edging to a 6-2 4-6 6-4 win to achieve the second round of the Swiss Indoors.

The eight-time champion played with his earliest exit in Basel since his 1998 debut as a young person, but came out on top in a nervy deciding set.

"I was up 6-2, 3-1, it could have finished very quickly," Federer said. "Be that as it may, I made life more troublesome. I didn't have the best serving details, perhaps that made up for lost time to me. Be that as it may, these are distinctive balls, more height than in Shanghai, it's tied in with becoming acclimated to it.

"What's more, first adjusts are constantly dubious, it's never a given that you will win."

Earlier, Jan-Lennard Struff finished the likelihood of a rematch between Federer and his US Open conqueror John Millman by beating the Australian 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.

Krajinovic seemed, by all accounts, to be headed to a straight-sets misfortune in his first gathering with the 20-time Grand Slam victor before the energy started to turn.

Up a set and a break, the Swiss lost serve in the 6th round of the second set before his adversary figured out how to square the match with a break in diversion 10.

The best seed went up an early break in the third and broke Krajinovic in a 11-minute amusement for a 5-2 lead, just to neglect to serve out the match at the first run through of inquiring.

Be that as it may, he secured triumph on his second match point to take his vocation record at the competition to 67-9 as he offers to achieve a twelfth progressive last at St. Jakobshalle.

"I'm glad I got through. These are the matches you need to win," said Federer.

"Things didn't really flow, however it was a hard-fought win. I feel good physically. I have a day off tomorrow so it was no trouble to play three sets. I'm happy where I am at the present time."

The 37-year-old Federer, who uncovered not long ago that he had been battling with hand damage since the grass-court season, last lost at the Swiss Indoors in 2013, going down to Juan Martin del Potro.

Seventh seed Daniil Medvedev, a semi-finalist a week ago in Moscow, saw off German Maximilian Marterer 6-3, 7-5.

Russian Medvedev stands at a career-high ranking of 20th, with three titles this season and will next face Andreas Seppi after the Italian defeated Japan's Taro Daniel 6-0, 6-4.