“Poor guy,” Roger Federer said, and while he might have been sparing a thought for Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo, who almost became the most talked about world No137 ever yesterday, he was, in fact, commenting on Robert Dee's burst of celebrity as the Briton who rose to the challenge just as he was about to be tarred with the world record for consecutive losses.

Federer did not mind the subject of Dee's apocalyptic career being raised in his interview here yesterday, for the Swiss had just managed to stave off another defeat, the rate of which this year has assumed apocalyptic proportions in some minds. Ramírez Hidalgo, a Spaniard who plays with his right shirtsleeve rolled up beneath his armpit in a semi-Rafael Nadal pose, led 5-1 in the final set and the final shot of the sixth game was a Federer forehand that breached the club walls.

The world No1 appeared to be heading for his worst setback since the first round of Wimbledon in 2002, when Mario Ancic, of Croatia, was ranked No154 and clubbed the Swiss in straight sets. But Ramírez Hidalgo was playing in his second tour event of the year and had lost in the first round of the other, in Buenos Aires in February - to Daniel Gimeno Traver - so he was not used to serving out for such a famous win.

He looked into the eye of the tiger twice yesterday, and blinked. It was enough. Federer sensed that, because his opponent had stumbled the first time, he would not survive the second service game and so it proved as the top seed eked out a 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 victory and a place in today's third round against Gaël Monfils, of France.

Federer was not best pleased with himself and it was not pretty to see him flat on his backside, having to brush the dirt from his posterior. “I felt a little bit slow today, but my opponent played so bad in the first set he sort of faked me out,” the world No1 said. “All of a sudden after the first game of the second set, which was average from his part as well, he managed to win it anyway because I didn't play so well. Then I struggled and was really unhappy with my game. But in the end it was fine.”

We have to accept Federer's word that it was, but 54 unforced errors is not fine in anyone's book. He may have won in Estoril last week, when Nikolay Davydenko, of Russia, retired hurt in the second set of the final, but there remains work to be done by Federer and José Higueras, the latest coach charged with making him a real French Open believer.

How different Nadal looked when he walked on to Court Central - as though he owned the place. He won the first set against Ancic in the time it took Federer to shower, change and meet the press. The Croat managed to win three games, but that was his lot.

Somewhere in Spain, Dee, the new “it” person of British tennis, had the consolation of knowing that Federer was thinking about him after those 54 consecutive losses and that sublime win in match No55. “What are you going to do?” the main man said. “All you can do is work hard and, hopefully, it's going to turn in your favour. I bet you guys were rough on him.”