Summary Federer has reached the semi-final stage at his last 11 Australian Opens.
MELBOURNE (AFP) - Swiss world number two Roger Federer had a tussle before dispatching Taiwan s Lu Yen-Shun in straight sets at the Australian Open on Monday.
Federer, who is gunning for his fifth title at Melbourne Park, won 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 and will play Italian Simone Bolelli in the second round.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion reeled off the opening two sets in just over an hour but found more resistance from the 47th-ranked Lu in the third.
The breakthrough came in the 11th game when Federer held three break points on Lu s service and took the game when the Taiwanese overhit a forehand.
Federer served it out for the match, protecting his record of never losing a first-round match in 16 appearances in Melbourne.
"I thought it was played at a really good level, it was a tough match and I had to step it up," Federer said.
"I ve played him a few times so I knew what he can do and he didn t disappoint.
"It s early in the season and it s tough to get rhythm, especially in the first round, but this court plays nice and we had some great rallies so it was a nice match."
Federer has reached the semi-final stage at his last 11 Australian Opens.
