Monte Carlo, April 23:

Roger Federer rallied from 5-1 down in third set to beat Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (1) on Wednesday in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

The 12-time Grand Slam champion, who twice came within two points of defeat on his Spanish opponent’s serve, won five straight games to take a 6-5 lead before heading to the tiebreaker. Federer then won the match when the 137th-ranked Ramirez Hidalgo hit a forehand long.

Federer had 55 unforced errors in the match and looked shaky on his serve early, needing to save a break point in the fifth game of the first set. But Ramirez Hidalgo’s unforced errors gave Federer a chance to serve out the set at 5-1.

Nikolay Davydenko, who lost to Federer in the Estoril Open final on Sunday after pulling out with an injury to his left leg, beat Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-2, 7-6 (5). Davydenko easily beat Bolelli in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, on March 31 and went on to win the tournament.

Fifth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain, No 16 Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany and Gael Monfils of France also won in straight sets. Ferrer beat two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin of Russia 6-2, 6-3; Monfils saved a set point before overcoming Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 7-6 (8), 6-1; and Kohlschreiber defeated Nicolas Kiefer of Germany 6-2, 6-4. Janko Tipsarevic of Croatia advanced by beating Nicolas Lapentti 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-4 and Rafael Nadal of Spain defeated Mario Ancic of Croatia, 6-0, 6-3.