Defending champion Roger Federer admitted he was lucky to escape Wednesday with a victory at the Australian Open, edging Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3 in the second round. Early on, it seemed as if Simon -- one of only three players on the ATP Tour to hold a winning record against Federer, beating him twice -- would send the Swiss star packing out of a Grand Slam before the third round for the first time since the French Open in 2003 -- a total of 31 majors. But the usually reserved Federer pumped his fist in celebration with each point in the final few games. He broke Simon's service in the sixth game of the deciding set to go up 4-2, held his service to go up 5-2, then held his serve two games later to clinch it with an ace on his fifth match point. "I remained positive ... it paid off. I got lucky. I'm happy I'm still in the tournament," Federer said. Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/aus11/news/story?id=6035310
