Roger Federer's impressive comeback at the Australian Open 2017 will be tested when he faces world No. 10 Tomas Berdych in the third round of the first Grand Slam event of the year.
Federer's took another step in his return to the tennis scene after the Swiss Maestro displayed yet another remarkable display of form, defeating unseeded American Noah Rubin in the second round of the Australian Open, 7-5 6-3 7-6(3).
Federer, who is competing at the event for the 18th consecutive year, hit 17 aces and won 82 percent of his first-serve points, insisting that his match against Rubin was more consistent than his opening round victory.
"I think I was a bit more consistent than in the first match against [Jurgen] Melzer, where I ended up losing that second set after leading. I think I had a little bit better concentration," Federer said, reports the ATP's official website.
"I was prepared [and] I was ready to battle. I was able to get the win, so I'm very happy."
Federer will next face sixth seed Tomas Berdych, who beat USA's Ryan Harrison 6-3 7-6(6) 6-2 to reach the Round of 32 stage. Federer leads Berdych by 16-6 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup, and has defeated the 31-year-old Czech in all of their last five meetings. However, the 17-time Grand Slam winner remains cautious about his showdown against Berdych.
"I know I've got to lift my game a little bit," Federer said. "But then again, I haven't seen Tomas play a lot, to be honest."
The winner between Berdych and Federer will meet either Lukas Lacko of Slovakia or world No. 5 Kei Nishikori. Lacko, who entered the tournament unseeded, defeated Israel's Dudi Sela, 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4, while Nishikori cruised past French Jeremy Chardy with a 6-3 6-4 6-3 victory to move into the next round.
Live streaming info and score updates
Watch Australian Open 2017 Roger Federer vs Tomas Berdych live via AusOpen.com or Watch ESPN. Live scores will be available during game days at the Australian Open's official website.