Federer, Djokovic dodge 1st-round bullets

LONDON, June 21 (UPI) -- Top-seeded defending champion Roger Federer and No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic battled to survive their first-round matches Monday in the first day at Wimbledon.

Federer came from two sets down to escape Alejandro Falla, ranked No. 60 in the world, rallying for a 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), 6-0 win.

Djokovic needed five sets to hang on against determined Belgian Olivier Rochus 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Federer failed to solve Falla's serve the first two sets but ended with five breaks -- three in the third set.

Falla served for the match in the fourth set but Federer stormed back behind 21 aces and 101 winners.

"I live another day," Federer said. "This one is one I should have lost. That's sometimes how grass-court tennis works."

Djokovic and Rochus dueled for 3 hours, 51 minutes in a match that saw the Serbian star deliver 17 aces among his amazing 96 winners. But Djokovic made his task much more difficult by piling up 12 double faults.

Fifth-seeded Andy Roddick was a straight-set winner over Rajeev Ram 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 but that was the exception Monday for the highest seeded men's players Monday. No. 7-seeded Nikolay Davydenko was pushed to the limit in a 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 9-7 win over Kevin Anderson.

In upsets, Florian Mayer had no trouble in a 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) win over 11th-seeded Marin Cilic; Denis Istomin beat 20th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; and Peter Luczak ousted 30th-seeded Tommy Robredo 2-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, 7-5.

Twelfth-seeded Tomas Berdych topped Andrey Golubev 7-6 (5-7), 6-2, 6-2; No. 15 Lleyton Hewitt defeated Maximo Gonzalez 5-7, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2; and 16th-seeded Jurgen Melzer took a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 decision from Dustin Brown.

Other seeded players advancing were No. 21 Gael Monfils, No. 22 Feliciano Lopez, 28th-seed Albert Montanes, 30th-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber and No. 31 Victor Hanescu.

Unseeded winners Monday included Mardy Fish, Ilija Bozoljac, Viktor Troicki, Taylor Dent, Michal Przysiezny, Michael Llodra, Karol Beck, Teimuraz Gabashvili, Daniel Brands, Evgeny Korolev, Rainer Schuettler, Yen-Hsun Lu, Benjamin Becker, Arnaud Clement, Brendan Evans, Ricardas Berankis and Marsel Ilhan.