World number one Roger Federer held off a service barrage to begin his Australian Open campaign with an impressive 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 dismissal of little-known Uzbek Denis Istomin on Tuesday.
The biggest concern for top seed Federer before the match had been finding some information about how his 195th-ranked opponent played.
Federer, who is seeking a second Australian title to add to his 2004 success, didn't have to wait long to find out as 19-year-old Istomin blasted two aces past him in his opening service game.
"You know, two aces, I think that definitely calms you down straightaway," Federer said of his apparently nerveless opponent.
Fortunately for Federer, Istomin didn't have much more to offer other than a big but often erratic serve.
The Swiss master comfortably closed out the match with a service winner after 83 minutes on Melbourne Park's Rod Laver Arena.
"I got his serve later on. I also thought he played pretty good under the circumstances against me," Federer said.
"Obviously, you know, I have a big repertoire of shots, so I always ... find my way into somebody's game, especially ranked that low," he told reporters.
HEAVY FAVOURITE
The top seed, a heavy favourite to win the year's first Grand Slam tournament, completely dominated the court against an opponent who was prepared to swing from the hips in a match of few rallies.
"I won comfortably. That's what counts most," Federer said.
"I thought it was not easy today because he was serving big, taking a lot of chances on my return. So we didn't see too many rallies, which didn't really allow me to get the rhythm going," he said.
Federer said the match at least gave him the chance to become accustomed again to Melbourne Park's hard courts, a surface that drew criticism last year from Australian Lleyton Hewitt for its slowness.
"Getting used to the conditions, I think, is obviously the main thing if you're playing against an opponent you're such a huge favourite in," Federer said.
"I guess it's sort of a fair surface. It's definitely no faster than last year," he said.
The Swiss was beaten by eventual champion Marat Safin in an epic Melbourne semi-final last year before going on to capture the Wimbledon and US Open titles.
He could meet fifth seed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia in the quarter-finals, with local hope Hewitt a possible semi-final opponent.
Results from the Australian Open men's singles Round 1 matches:
Dick Norman (Belgium) beat Zack Fleishman (United States) 6-4, 7-6(6), 5-7, 0-6, 6-3
6-Guillermo Coria (Argentina) beat Victor Hanescu (Romania) 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
Bjoern Phau (Germany) beat Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 7-6(4)
12-Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) beat Oliver Marach (Austria) 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3
Tommy Haas (Germany) beat 14-Richard Gasquet (France) 6-2, 7-5, 6-2
Nathan Healey (Australia) beat 29-Filippo Volandri (Italy) 6-2, 6-3, (Volandri retired)
Paul Goldstein (United States) beat Novak Djokovic (Serbia and Montenegro) 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
Peter Luczak (Australia) beat Ivo Minar (Czech Republic) 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-4
Federico Luzzi (Italy) beat Juan Antonio Marin (Costa Rica) 6-1, 6-4, 7-5
Luis Horna (Peru) beat 22-Gael Monfils (France) 6-4, 7-5, 6-1
24-Olivier Rochus (Belgium) beat Michael Llodra (France) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2
