Melbourne: Swiss world number two Roger Federer had a tussle before dispatching Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun at the Australian Open on Monday as he searches for an elusive 18th Grand Slam title. Federer, who is gunning for his fifth crown at Melbourne Park, won 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 in 1hr 53min on Rod Laver Arena and will play Italian Simone Bolelli in the second round.

The 33-year-old, whose last major success was at Wimbledon in 2012, 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.