By Chris Oddo | Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Roger Federer came back from the depths of despair to rally past Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer in a spirited second-round tussle in Shanghai on Wednesday, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(7), saving five match points to reach the third round.

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Federer’s victory, coupled with Rafael Nadal’s loss earlier in the day, ensures that the Swiss will return to the No. 2 spot when the ATP releases its rankings next week.

The five match points saved are the second most that Federer has saved in his career. He saved seven match points in a first-round win against Scott Draper in Cincinnati, according to the ATP.

“I think I got unbelievably lucky today,” Federer said, according to ATPworldtour.com. “Let's be quite honest. I think he deserved it. The first match point was crazy. Then there was a few other ones, as well. It was so close.”

Federer, who faced two match points while serving to stay alive at 4-5 in the third set, also saved another three in the third-set tiebreaker before clinching the victory with a topspin backhand lob winner.

The 17-time major champion will next face Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round at Shanghai.

Mayer, who had never faced Federer before, played exceptionally well, and missed converting his first match point by only a whisker. His backhand clipped the tape and fell back on his side of the net. Had it been a centimeter higher, he’d be celebrating his second career top 10 win.

“Could be my greatest escape thus far,” Federer said. “I've had some good ones over the years, but this one might just top it all because I was literally out of the point at one stage. I had to come up with some shots that were hard to do anyways. But on match point even more so. “So I feel a bit sorry for Leonardo, I must say, but that's how it goes. You win some, you lose some.”