MELBOURNE, Australia -- Well, so much for Roger Federer's so-called Group of Death.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion entered this Australian Open hounded by a host of questions following a six-month injury layoff. And then, when the draw came out, there simply appeared to be too many answers.
Federer, if he was fortunate enough to get that far, would face No. 10 seed Tomas Berdych in the third round, No. 5 Kei Nishikori in the fourth and, hypothetically, No. 1 Andy Murray in the quarterfinals.
And, if he managed to reach the final -- and no one, Federer probably included, was banking on that -- No. 2 Novak Djokovic surely would be waiting.
On Sunday night at Rod Laver Arena, Federer lost the first four games to Nishikori, then summoned another vintage performance. The 35-year-old, looking like something approaching Federer circa 2003, defeated Nishikori 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.
And when it was over, Federer uncharacteristically jumped for joy.
"It was about staying calm," Federer said of the 0-4 deficit. "It was not going to get any worse from there. It was tough, hard not to win that first set after all that effort, but it worked out in the end."
And who will the rejuvenated Federer play in the quarterfinals?
A German journeyman who finds himself in his first major quarterfinal. Earlier Mischa Zverev scored the upset of the tournament, stunning Murray 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.
Federer, the No. 17 seed, has beaten Zverev the two times they've played -- including a 6-0, 6-0 bagel in Halle, Germany, three years ago.
Federer said he watched from the locker room as Zverev beat Murray.
"I thought it was another incredible match," Federer said. "I never would have picked it."
But make no mistake, he'll take it.
A victory over Zverev would pit him against the winner of the Stan Wawrinka-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga match. Once again, history seems to be smiling on Federer. He has beaten Wawrinka in 18 of 21 matches and handled Tsonga in 11 of 17.
The only player on the other side of the draw to have won a Grand Slam is Rafael Nadal.
Federer stroked 24 aces and 83 winners in a match that ran 3 hours, 24 minutes.
And his backhand was consistently magnificent.
Interestingly, Federer had lost the past three five-set matches against top-10 opponents.
"He's a tough customer," Federer said of Nishikori. "This is a huge win for me in my career."
Nishikori had two visits from the ATP trainer in the fifth set, and the focus was massaging his lower back. The second break, which came with Federer leading 3-0, lasted more than five minutes.
Earlier, the No. 4-seeded Wawrinka was the first to assert himself.
Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, handled unseeded Andreas Seppi, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4).
With Murray and Djokovic out, is Wawrinka feeling the pressure?
"No," he said, "I don't know why I should feel more pressure. I'm just in quarterfinal. Again, it's big surprise that they not in the draw anymore, but my next match is the quarterfinal. I'm not thinking about semi or final that I will not have to play Andy or Novak. That's the last thing in my head."
In a matchup of 31-year-olds, the Swiss will face Tsonga, who took down unseeded Daniel Evans 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
"He played good tennis at the start, it was difficult for me," said Tsonga, who reached his third consecutive major quarterfinal. "I'm really happy to go through.
"It's going to be a good challenge for me to play Stan."
The highest seeded player left is No. 3 Milos Raonic, who is in the bottom half of the draw and plays No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut on Monday.
Wawrinka, the US Open champion, survived a first-round scare, holding on to defeat Martin Klizan in five sets. Wawrinka won the title here in 2014.
Tsonga, who has been extended to four sets three times now, reached his only Grand Slam final here in 2008, losing to Djokovic.