Nalbandian upset in marathon

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Yen-hsun Lu had barely walked off the court at Melbourne Park on Wednesday after one of his biggest career wins when his mobile phone started ringing.

"I picked up the phone and my friends were calling to congratulate me," Lu said. "I could tell they were all happy for me."

His friends back in Taiwan had good reason to be excited.

Lu, whose previous biggest win was a first-round upset of Britain's Andy Murray at last year's Beijing Olympics, pulled off a marathon upset of 10th-seeded David Nalbandian in the second round at the Australian Open.

Lu beat the 2002 Wimbledon finalist 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a match just short of four hours, marking the first time in 12 Grand Slams that the 25-year-old Lu has advanced past the second round.

Lu persevered through a 10-minute final game when he fought off six break points, but he had a strategy -- reverse psychology.

"Everybody knows Nalbandian is one of the best backhand players," Lu said. "So I thought he's ready for a forehand return. So I just changed my mind and went to his backhand all the time.

"I served six times to his backhand on break point and I won all the points."

Lu said he had nothing to lose.

"For me, I'm No. 61 in the world and I have no pressure," Lu said. "I just go on the court and play my game and it's not about who is better. But I think I served more consistent than him today. And in the fourth set and final set, I played more aggressive than him."

Lu, who took up tennis because of his father's love of the sport, was only able to compete internationally because of a generous sponsor in Taiwan, where tennis lags way behind the popularity of baseball, badminton and table tennis.

He practises in Germany and is coached by Rainer Schuettler's coach, Dirk Hordoff, who was court-side for part of his match Wednesday. But Lu is quick to point out that he's not shunning his native country's help.

"We are the first ones to be top 100, so they (Taiwan tennis officials) have really no experience, like how we should do in professional tennis," Lu said. "So we look for a coach with more experience. I'm not saying Taiwan coaching is bad, but they need some time to get experience."

Lu, nicknamed "Randy" by his former English teacher because it was easier to pronounce than his hyphenated first name, followed Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Chinese-American player Michael Chang when he was growing up.

Beating one of the newest big names in tennis, Murray, in straight sets in Beijing was one of his career highlights. His win over Nalbandian on Wednesday was right up there.

"I think it has different meanings for me, because Olympics is to play for my country," Lu said. "But here, it is a Grand Slam. I think for me it's the biggest of tennis events. And it's one big step to get to the third round."

On Friday, he'll face 21st-seed Tommy Robredo of Spain. Robredo and Lu have played each other just once, with the Spanish player winning in straight sets at Tokyo in 2006.

Ivanovic eases into Aussie 3rd round

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Roger Federer's quest for a record 14th major suddenly got more compelling Wednesday when he set up a third-round match with Marat Safin at the Australian Open.

Second-ranked Federer was dominating in a 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 second-round victory over No. 118 Evgeny Korolev in just 86 minutes.

The 27-year-old Swiss moved another step closer to equaling Pete Sampras' record 14 Grand Slam singles titles.

With Swiss flags scattered around Rod Laver Arena, Federer gave quick notice that he was on top of his game with back-to-back aces in the first game.

Safin, who beat Federer in the semifinals en route to winning the 2005 Australian title, beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.

"I'm happy to be playing Marat, we have fought some battles," Federer said. "We had the epic in 2005."

Safin, the mercurial Russian who will turn 29 next week, saved a match point and won 9-7 in the fifth set of his semifinal against Federer four years ago.

He is one of only two men who've beaten Federer at Melbourne Park in the last five years.

The other, defending champion Novak Djokovic, remained on course for a semifinal rematch with Federer when he beat Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 7-5, 6-1, 6-3.

Chardy matched the third-ranked Djokovic shot for shot before wilting while trying to force a tiebreaker in the first set.

The 21-year-old Djokovic was dominating on his serve, faltering only when he was broken at love while serving for the match.

But he broke right back, finishing it off when Chardy netted a forehand on match point.

He next plays Amer Delic, who got a spot in the draw as a lucky loser from qualifying when other players withdrew and became the first American into the third round.

The Bosnian-born 26-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida, rallied from two sets down to beat No. 28 Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 1-6, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 9-7. The fifth set lasted 72 minutes.

Meanwhile, it was another rough day for Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que. One day after being eliminated in the first round of the women's singles competition, Wozniak and Latvian partner Liga Dekmeijere were defeated in women's doubles action by seventh-ranked Maria Kirilenko of Russia and Flavia Pennetta of Italy, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

In women's singles action, fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic beat Italian Alberta Brianti 6-3, 6-2 and No. 1-ranked Jelena Jankovic advanced 5-4, 7-5 over Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium.

Jankovic, the only member of the top Serbian trio yet to win a major, needed a medical timeout for treatment on her right foot in the first set and was broken three times in a tougher-than-expected, 1-hour, 46-minute match.

Ivanovic lost the last Australian Open final to Maria Sharapova, then won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open and gained the No. 1 ranking.

Now seeded fifth, she is drawing inspiration from her last run here. Sharapova is not defending the title because of a shoulder injury.

"I was in this situation before French Open last year, coming into the tournament as pretty serious finalist," she said. "That experience will help me a lot to approach this Australian Open."

Dictating play and ripping winners into the corners, Ivanovic repeatedly took advantage of Brianti's weak serve. The 28-year-old Italian held serve only three times.

No. 169-ranked Brianti needed treatment for her lower back and took a medical time out after getting broken to fall behind 3-0 in the second set.

She returned to break Ivanovic's serve and held to pull back to 3-2, but lost the next three games. Ivanovic, pushing the limits with her shots, had the same number of winners as unforced errors (26).

She won 17 of her 27 net approaches, a sign she's growing in confidence moving forward.

"I improved a lot since last match. I was committing much more, coming to the net more often," she said, adding she still had plenty to improve.

"When you come against top players or high-ranked players, you automatically raise your level and your consistency. That's something that I can do."

No. 3 Dinara Safina overcame 44 unforced errors in a 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-0 win over fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova and will next play No. 25 Kaie Kanepi of Estonia.

Safina, younger sister of Safin, lost to a qualifier in the first round here last year, but went on to be runner-up at the French Open, take the Olympic silver medal and reach the U.S. Open semifinals.

No. 10 Nadia Petrova had a 6-3, 6-2 win over India's Sania Mirza. No. 26 Ai Sugiyama of Japan defeated Nathalie Dechy of France 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 and next faces Jankovic.

Also advancing were No. 7 Vera Zvonareva of Russia, No. 15 Alize Cornet of France and No. 19 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.

On the men's side, No. 11 David Ferrer of Spain had a 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 win over 31-year-old qualifier Dominik Hrbaty, who helped Slovakia win the Hopman Cup title in Perth earlier this month.

Among the men's seeds advancing were No. 19 Marin Cilic or Croatia, No. 20 Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic, and No. 21 Tommy Robredo of Spain.

Nadal cruises, Canucks ousted

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Top-ranked Rafael Nadal put together a dominating performance Tuesday, routing Belgium's Christophe Rochus 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the Australian Open.

Showing no sign of the knee problems that sidelined him at the end of last year, the Spaniard yielded only eight points in six games in the first set. When Rochus finally got on the board while already down a break in the second, the crowd in packed Rod Laver Arena gave him a huge ovation.

Nadal, who reached the semifinals here last year and is seeking his sixth Grand Slam title, finished with 47 winners to just seven for Rochus and blasted 10 aces. The 75th-ranked Belgian, who fell to 13-31 in Grand Slam play, managed to laugh several times, realizing there was little he could do.

Nadal broke for the seventh time to pull ahead 5-2 in the final set, then held at love with four winners to finish off the victory in 77 minutes.

Conditions were perfect for the last match of the night, a sharp contrast to the brutal sun and swirling winds that plagued players earlier.

It was a rough day for Canadians, who all exited singles play. Peter Polansky of Thornhill, Ont., built a two-set lead before falling 5-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to No. 18 Igor Andreev of Russia. Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., was ousted 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 by ninth-seeded American James Blake, who reached the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park last year to match his best effort at a Grand Slam.

On the women's side, No. 30 Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., lost to Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-4, 6-3.

American Serena Williams also had to deal with a slight head cold, but she had no problem in a 6-3, 6-2 victory over 123rd-ranked Yuan Meng of China to begin pursuit of her 10th Grand Slam. Yuan was all but ducking for cover from an onslaught of powerful serves, groundstrokes and volleys from the second-seeded American.

And get this: Williams wasn't even going all out.

"It was a little hot for me today," said Williams, aiming to keep intact her record of winning here in odd-numbered years since 2003. "But I was able to just take my time and play a lot slower, not giving 1,000 per cent.

"I think it was pretty important for me not to ... go crazy out there, try and conserve some energy. Keep in mind, I am playing doubles here, as well. I definitely want to do well in both events."

That would be doubles with sister Venus -- the reigning Wimbledon champion -- who overcame a lapse against hard-hitting Angelique Kerber of Germany to advance with a 6-3, 6-3 victory.

While the Williams sisters were happy to get through without drama, Britain's Andy Murray wished he had spent more time in the sun. The 21-year-old Scot got a mixed blessing when Romanian Andrei Pavel, who was hoping to make a farewell tour of the majors before retiring, had to quit after 45 minutes when his bad back acted up.

"I would have liked to have been on court a bit longer," said the fourth-seeded Murray, who won for the first time on centre court here. "You don't want to win a match like that."

Most everybody else was eager to finish fast with the temperature topping 40C in afternoon. Murray said he could feel his feet burning on long points. Photographers at courtside draped their heads, bodies and cameras in wet towels. Spectators fanned themselves with paper and official programs.

"It was definitely extreme conditions," Serena Williams said.

A cool front came through and conditions were a pleasant 26C degrees by the time sixth-seeded Venus went on court. It turned into essentially a good hitting session for her.

"I was really happy to be able to be out there and hit a lot of balls and find a rhythm and advance," she said.

Olympic gold medallist Elena Dementieva of Russia beat Germany's Kristina Barrois to extend her winning streak this year to 11 matches. Also advancing were No. 13 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo of France and No. 22 Zheng Jie of China.

No. 9 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland became the highest seeded player to be ousted, falling to Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko.

On the men's side, No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Argentina's Juan Monaco, No. 6 Gilles Simon downed Spain's Pablo Andujar and fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, seeded 24th, ousted Diego Junqueira.

Tsonga had upset wins over Murray in the first round and Nadal in the semifinals here last year before losing the final to Novak Djokovic.

No. 13 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, runner-up here to Federer in 2007, ended local hope Lleyton Hewitt's 13th Australian Open. Hewitt, a former U.S. Open and Wimbledon champion, lost the final at his home major in 2005 to Marat Safin.

Murray wins first match Down Under

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MELBOURNE, Australia -- Andy Murray's first win on Rod Laver was a little low key. The 21-year-old Scot, carrying the hopes of a British public anxious to have its first male Grand Slam champion since 1936, was leading Andrei Pavel 6-2, 3-1, 15-0 when the Romanian retired with a back injury. The fourth-seeded Murray, who lost last year's U.S. Open final to Roger Federer, didn't mind getting off the court as the midday temperatures topped 37 degrees C on Tuesday, day two of the Australian Open. "It's the first time I've ever won a match on here," he told a TV interviewer. "You don't want to win a match like that. Andrei's been having trouble with his back for a year." Murray was installed as the favourite or joint favourite for the season-opening major by British bookmakers after beating Federer three times since losing the U.S. Open final -- his best run at a major to date. "I'm aiming to go one better here and I need all the support I can get," he said, noting the number of Scottish flags unfurled around the stadium. "It's nice. Hopefully they'll keep coming throughout the tournament." Murray defended his Qatar Open title in the Gulf before coming to Melbourne but said it was still difficult acclimatizing to the Australian summer. "On court temperature yesterday, apparently it got to 64 degrees -- pretty painful!" he said. The relentless sun had players sheltering in whatever shade they could find between points. The WTA invoked part of its extreme heat rule Tuesday, allowing women to wear ice vests and take a 10-minute break between sets. Murray, who worked hard on an off-season conditioning program that has added seven pounds (three kilograms) of muscle to his lean frame, was sharp from the start, exerting pressure with virtually every shot. Pavel managed to keep pace for the first four games before his feet betrayed him at the same time that his back was letting him down. He was twice called for foot-faults as Murray broke him for a 3-2 lead while running off the last five games of the first set. Pavel had a quick massage on his lower back during the changeover, held serve, then could only watch as Murray ran off 13 of the next 14 points. Federer commenced his quest for a 14th major to equal Pete Sampras' career record with a 6-1, 7-6 (4), 7-5 first-round win over 35th-ranked Andreas Seppi of Italy that finished after midnight. Top-ranked Rafael Nadal starts his second consecutive major as the top seed in a night match against Christophe Rochus of Belgium on Tuesday. Novak Djokovic, who beat Federer in the semis here last year, beat Andrea Stoppini 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in his opening match. His fellow Serbs Ana Ivanovic and top-ranked Jelena Jankovic got through in straight sets on the women's side. Second-seeded Serena Williams, the reigning U.S. Open champion and three-time Australian champion, faces Yuan Meng of China on Tuesday. Sixth-seeded Venus Williams, who won her fifth Wimbledon title and finished off 2008 by winning the season-ending tour championship, goes against Angelique Kerber of Germany.

Dokic moves on from past troubles

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MELBOURNE, Australia -- Being the daughter of one of the most volatile tennis fathers was never going to be easy for Jelena Dokic. Just how difficult became apparent after her first-round Australian Open win Monday, years after the antics of her father, Damir, last hit the headlines. "It was real difficult to take all that, what was going on off the court, all the outbursts," Dokic said. "I played with huge pressure on my shoulders. I kind of just cracked by the time I was 19." The now 25-year-old Dokic revealed that she suffered from depression for two years, was estranged from all of her family, including her mother and younger brother, and didn't pick up a racket for seven or eight months in 2007 while she contemplated whether she could ever return to tennis. "I had so much to go through while my dad was on the tour, I was just so young and just had no real idea what was going on," Dokic said after her 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 win over Tamira Paszek of Austria, her first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam in three years. In a sport that regularly spawns overbearing parents, Damir Dokic stood out from the rest. He was ejected from a 1999 tournament in Birmingham, England, for calling club members "Nazis who supported the bombing of Yugoslavia" and was subsequently arrested for lying down on a road. The next year, he fought with a television crew at the Australian Open and smashed a journalist's mobile phone at Wimbledon. He was thrown out of the U.S. Open after an argument over the price of fish and was barred by the Women's Tennis Association from attending tournaments for six months. And he implied that the Australian Open draw in 2001 was rigged against his daughter. Damir and Jelena Dokic ended their coach-player relationship in 2003 when he called for her to undergo psychiatric and drug testing after she started dating a Brazilian race driver. Ultimately, it took a huge toll on Jelena. "I was trying, but ... not really there," Dokic said Monday. "I had other issues going on in my life, I think that was obvious. I battled severe depression for about two years, didn't play for months at a time. It was a tough time in my life." It all started off so rosy. She was a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 2000, losing in straight sets to Lindsay Davenport, but made bigger headlines the previous year when, as a 16-year-old qualifier, she beat No. 1 Martina Hingis in the first round. Dokic, who has five career singles titles, saw her ranking plummet from a high of No. 4 in 2002 to 617 in 2006. Last year, she slowly began a comeback, winning three second-tier titles and improving to No. 187. Dokic moved to Australia from Europe with her family in 1994 but renounced the country in 2001 and took up citizenship in her native Serbia. She decided to play again for Australia in 2006. In December, she won a wild-card tournament for Australian players to gain a spot in the Open. There were plenty of anxious moments when she took the court against Paszek at a 10,000-seat arena Monday at Melbourne Park. "It was a pretty big court for me to play on straight up," Dokic said. "I really played the big points well, which I'm really proud of. "It's really a miracle for me, really emotional to win. What I had to go through, it's really great to have this win. I don't think a lot of people know what it means to me ..." Her voice trails off, and tears well in her eyes. When she composes herself, she says that last year at this time, she gave herself six months to take one last crack at the game she loved. "Just something clicked overnight," Dokic said. "I pretty much lost my family, had no one there, I was really struggling. "People sometimes think you go off, you go on a holiday, you start partying and stuff like that. But it was not what happened with me. I wish it was." She started her comeback by just trying to get into condition. "I said to myself at the end of 2007, I will really try to get back in shape and give it one more shot," she said. "It was just a matter of whether I would be mentally strong enough again to play at this level and to compete." While her tennis has improved, her family relationship is still tenuous. "I don't talk to my father, I haven't for years," Dokic said. "I talk to my mom (Liliana). We're mending that relationship. "The biggest thing I regret is my brother (Savo), who is eight years younger than me. I didn't have contact with him for years until the last 12 months. That was the hardest thing to deal with. But I still feel like I've lost them." She received emotional support from her boyfriend of five years, Tin Bikic. "It was probably even tougher for him at times than it was for me because he had to watch me go through all that," Dokic said. She's optimistic for the future. "Even though I still get nervous in matches like today, I'm really enjoying to be here every day," she said. "I went through hell and back. This is hopefully a reward for me for everything I went through."

Federer wins Aussie opener

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Roger Federer took the first step toward his record-tying 14th Grand Slam title with a 6-1, 7-6 (4), 7-5 victory Monday over Andreas Seppi at the Australian Open.

Federer, seeking to match Pete Sampras' mark, was at his best on the big points on the opening day when most favourites avoided upsets. However, it wasn't easy for even the top players.

"He is a very tough customer, he played really well," Federer said of the 35th-ranked Seppi. "I think I played well, too. I had to."

Stephanie Dubois of Laval, Que., dropped her opening round match, falling 6-0, 7-6 (5) to No. 26 Ai Sugiyama of Japan.

Serbia's Ana Ivanovic, the women's runner-up last year, had 10 mistakes in the first five games but managed to advance with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over 107th-ranked Julia Goerges, who was even more erratic.

Top-seeded Jelena Jankovic, short on practice after illness hampered preparations for her pursuit of a first Grand Slam title, had 27 winners to four for No. 104 Yvonne Meusburger in winning 6-1, 6-3.

The other Serbian star, defending men's champion Novak Djokovic, started strong then had to rally from service breaks in the last two sets -- he was down 4-0 in the third -- to oust Andrea Stoppini 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.

Seventh-seeded Andy Roddick opened with a straight sets win over Bjorn Rehnquist, with fellow American Mary Fish also winning against Samuel Gorth. Six other Americans made first-round exits: Robby Ginepri, John Isner, Robert Kendrick, Bobby Reynolds, Taylor Dent and Sam Querry.

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal has his first match Tuesday, when both Serena and Venus Williams also will be in action.

Second-ranked Federer is a huge fan favourite here, and Rod Laver Arena was still packed when he went on court at 10 p.m. under perfect conditions. Camera flashes went off every time he hit a shot.

"Whose house? Roger's house!" one fan roared.

Federer, who has won three titles here, was clearly focused on proving that fan right.

The Swiss star fended off all 10 of Seppi's break points. He had one stretch in the first set that had the fans gasping and left Seppi with a look that said: "What can I do?"

Federer ran off the last five games of the set, dropping only six points, and the ones that Seppi did win usually took at least two good shots. Twice on one point, Seppi sent up lobs that landed on the line. Federer backtracked to get the first back with a quick flick of the wrist, then got to the second, spun around and whipped a wicked forehand winner.

Things got tighter the rest of the way.

Seppi had a set point as Federer served at 5-6, 30-40 but missed the sideline with a backhand that the replay system showed was maybe a millimetre out. Federer went on to hold, then ran away from a 3-3 tie in the tiebreaker.

Another tiebreaker appeared to be looming in the final set.

Seppi fended off three match points while serving at 5-6. Federer set up another with a backhand volley winner, and Seppi sent a forehand long to end the match in two hours 21 minutes.

.Ivanovic lost the 2008 Australian final to Maria Sharapova, who is out with an injured shoulder, then won the French Open to take the top ranking midway through the year.

She had her share of glitches while facing Goerges for the first time, with the midday sun playing havoc with every serve toss at one end of the court. It didn't help that the German player was going for winners.

"I don't expect myself to step on the court and play perfect tennis from very first moment," said Ivanovic, who was ousted in the third round at Wimbledon and in the second at the U.S. Open. "You just want to give yourself the best possible chance and give time to work yourself into the tournament."

Jankovic had more trouble with the broiling daytime sun -- temperatures reached 35 C -- than Meusburger. The surface was so hot that Jankovic iced the soles of her shoes during changeovers.

"My feet were burning," said Jankovic, who didn't know what to expect after her recent illness-enforced layoff.

Other men advancing were No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro and No. 10 David Nalbandian of Argentina, No. 11 David Ferrer of Spain, No. 15 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, 2005 champion Marat Safin, 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis and 16-year-old Australian Bernard Tomic.

Gilles Muller of Luxembourg overcame No. 27 Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-3, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 4-6, 16-14 in a 4-hour, 23-minute match.

Winners on the women's side included No. 3 Dinara Safina and No. 7 Vera Zvonareva of Russia, No. 15 Alize Cornet of France, No. 16 Marion Bartoli and No. 19 Daniela Hantuchova.

Former fourth-ranked Kimiko Date Krumm, who last reached the main draw of a major since 1996, was beaten 6-4, 4-6, 8-6 by 25th-seeded Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. The 38-year-old Japanese player, who came out of retirement last year, had won three matches in qualifying.

Ivanovic, Roddick win Down Under

RelatedMore Australian Open:Men's seedsWomen's seedsMurray's star on rise THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- After struggling in her first match at the Australian Open since losing last year's final, Ana Ivanovic finished with a flourish in a 7-5, 6-3 win over Julia Goerges on Monday.

Fifth-seeded Ivanovic was broken once in each set but fended off five other break points before finishing with consecutive aces against Goerges, a German ranked No. 107 and playing only her fourth major.

Ivanovic lost the 2008 Australian final to Maria Sharapova, who is not defending her title because of an injury, and then won the French Open to move into the No. 1 ranking midway through the year.

But the 21-year-old Serb was bothered by injuries in the middle of the season and her form at the majors waned, going out in the third round at Wimbledon and the second round at the U.S. Open.

She and Goerges finished with a combined 66 unforced errors to just 34 winners and were called for several foot faults. Ivanovic was pleased to have escaped with a victory.

"I took some time to adjust to the rhythm and everything, to slowly get into match," Ivanovic said. "I've never played against her before ... never seen her play. She was hitting the ball very well.

"I don't expect myself to step on the court and play perfect tennis from very first moment. You just want to give yourself the best possible chance and give time to work yourself into the tournament."

Top-ranked Jelena Jankovic, who lost the U.S. Open final to Serena Williams and is yet to win a major title, had a more straight forward win than her fellow Serbian. Jankovic ripped 27 winners against Yvonne Meusburger's four in a 6-1, 6-3 win.

"Today it was so hot, my feet were really burning," said Jankovic, recovering from an illness that ruled her out of a Hong Kong tournament last week. "I knew I had to deal with it."

Seventh-seeded Andy Roddick was also thorough in a 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 win over 31-year-old Swedish qualifier Bjorn Rehnquist in the first match at Rod Laver Arena.

The 2003 U.S. Open champion lost only nine points in the first set, sealing it in 28 minutes after setting up triple set point with consecutive aces.

Roddick, a semifinalist in Australia every alternate year since 2003, had 17 winners, nine aces and kept his unforced errors down to 10.

He came into the tournament as runner-up to fourth-ranked Andy Murray at the Qatar Open in Doha and hasn't given up hope of winning a second major, despite the domination of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

"I'm 26, so I'm not quite over the hill," he said. Another Grand Slam title "is what I'm shooting for."

He next plays Belgium's Xavier Malisse, who had a 7-6 (8), 6-1, 6-1 win over Michael Llodra of France.

Federer, bidding to equal Pete Sampras' record 14 major titles, had a night match later Monday against Andreas Seppi of Italy.

Third-ranked Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, will play Andrea Stoppini in the third match on centre court.

Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych, seeded 20th, beat American Robby Ginepri 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. Veteran Dominik Hrbaty, who guided Slovakia to a surprise title at the Hopman Cup international mixed team event in Perth earlier this month, beat John Isner in four sets.

Two other Americans went out in the first round.

Robert Kendrick lost to No. 16 Robin Soderling of Sweden in four sets and Bobby Reynolds went down in straight sets to No. 21 Tommy Robredo of Spain.

Women's No. 7 Vera Zvonareva of Russia posted a 7-6 (2), 6-0 win over Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova and No. 15 Alize Cornet of France beat Ukraine's Mariya Koryttseva 6-3, 6-4.

No. 16 Marion Bartoli, the Frenchwoman who made the 2007 Wimbledon final, advanced 6-2, 6-4 over Britain's Melanie South 6-2, 6-4.

Former fourth-ranked Kimiko Date Krumm, returning to the main draw of a major after a 13-year hiatus, was beaten 6-4, 4-6, 8-6 by 25th-seeded Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.

The 38-year-old Japanese player, who came out of retirement last year, had won three matches in qualifying.