Jan 15, 2008, 12:33 GMT
Melbourne - Roger Federer roared back into action after a week of stomach illness, stamping his authority on the Australian Open with 6-0, 6-3, 6-0 first-round thrashing of Diego Hartfield on Tuesday.
Roger Federer of Switzerland returns the ball to Diego Hartfield of Argentina during a first round match at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia on 15 January 2008. Federer won 6-0, 6-3, and 6-0. EPA/DENNIS M. SABANGAN
The inspired Swiss, starting his title defence without having played a match this season, used the Argentine as target practise as he re-established the natural order at Melbourne Park in 74 minutes.
'I'm not sick very often, it was a bit of a scare,' said Federer. 'But there was no doubt that I'd recover.
'I'm happy i played so well. I had my practise sets here last week and it paid off.'
Federer stormed through the beginning of his bid to earn only the third hat trick at the Australian Championships. He won the event in 2006 and 2007 as well as 2004.
The last man to claim the Open without playing a preparatory match was Andre Agassi 1995. Federer came out firing, lifting the first set in a brief 24 minutes and winning the first nine games before Hartfield drew sustained applause after finally getting on the scoreboard.
But Federer would not be kept waiting and finished off the contest in rapid-fire style.
Third seed Novak Djokovic overcame a late lapse to motor past German Benjamin Becker and into the second round 6-0, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).
Serbian Djokovic's level dropped slightly in the third set, which lasted longer than the first two combined, but the seed ended it with a cross-court winner off a let cord bounce. The defeat was the fifth in a Grand Slam first round for Becker.
'I was nervous before the match, knowing that I'm a big favourite in the first round against a player, who is in the top 100 for two years,' said Djokovic.
'It's good to win in the straight sets and not to experience the big heat, which is one of the trouble factors here in Australia.'
Argentine 10th seed David Nalbandian pulled up perfectly after straining a back muscle last week at Kooyong, swamping Australian Robert Smeets 6-1, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) to work his way into the tournament.
Spanish fifth seed David Ferrer put an early loss last week in New Zealand out of his mind with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 defeat of Edouard Roger- Vasselin of France.
Australian tennis hero Lleyton Hewitt took a 6-0, 6-3, 6-0 win over Belgian Steve Darcis.
'I didn't do too much wrong today, especially as I didn't really know a lot about my opponent either,' said the former number one now seeded 19th.
'It's never easy coming into a Grand Slam, the first match is always tough.'
Good mate Peter Luczak joined with an Aussie win, beating Mariano Zabaleta 6-1, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-4. Also going through was wild card Alun Jones over Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Chris Guccione was bundled out.
Marcos Baghdatis, 2006 finalist, continued his strong run of form as he put out Sweden's former champion Thomas Johansson 7-6 (7-0), 6- 2, 3-6, 6-3.
Svetlana Kuznetsova settled comfortably into her role as women's second seed with a clinical demolition of Nathalie Dechy 6-3, 6-1.
'It's pretty new for every tournament where I go,' said the world's second-best player behind Justine Henin. 'At the end of the year I got to number two.
'I'm pretty excited about this,' said the 2004 US Open winner. 'But it's definitely it's a little bit of pressure because you have to keep it up.'
'Kuzy' was joined as a winner by Australian-trained Serbian Ana Ivanovic, with the cover-girl fourth seed running down a Romanian challenge from Sorana Cirstea 7-5, 6-3.
Sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze didn't have to fire a shot as German first-round opponent Andrea Petkovic hurt a knee during warm-up and could not play.
Venus Williams, the number eight, beat China's Yan Zi 6-2, 7-5 while ninth seed Daniela Hantuchova advanced over American Vania King 6-3, 7-5.
Russian number 14 Nadia Petrova came up a winner against Australian veteran Nicole Pratt 6-1, 6-3 but German qualifier Sabine Lisicki stuck 16th seed Dinara Safina with a 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-2 upset loss in the first round.
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