Federer ousts 'incredible' Falla in five-set cliffhanger

Defending champion Roger Federer narrowly avoided falling victim to the biggest upset in Wimbledon history as he fought back from two sets down to defeat Alejandro Falla in an astonishing first-round match on Centre Court.

Colombian Falla is ranked 60th in the world and had lost all four previous matches against the world number two but that did not stop him winning the opening two sets with some stunning tennis.

Federer, who was watched from the Royal Box by his parents, somehow pulled one back and then broke Falla when he served for the match in the fourth set before racing away to win 5-7 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7/1) 6-0.

The top seed paid tribute to his opponent as he came off court, saying: “I’ve lost many matches this season I should have won and today I won a match I should have lost. He played incredible.”