Roger Federer made it look difficult for a change, starting his bid for a 10th Grand Slam championship and successful Australian Open title defense by dropping serve three times in the first set.
But the top-ranked Federer rebounded quickly after Bjorn Phau took a 5-3 lead yesterday, winning the next nine games and conceding only six points in the second set.
The Swiss star went on to win 7-5, 6-0, 6-4, easily dispatching the 27-year-old German who beat him seven years ago in their only previous match.
PHOTO: EPA
"I got broken in the first set three times -- you try to stay cool but I got a little bit nervous," said Federer, who went 92-5 with 12 titles last season and has held the top ranking since February 2004.
Otherwise, he said, "It felt great to be back."
Federer changed his preparation schedule this year, skipping his usual regular-season opener and playing three matches in an exhibition tournament at Kooyong, where he lost the final on Saturday to Andy Roddick.
Federer said he had overcome any Grand Slam nerves, though it would take a little time to get his best rhythm back.
"Now that I'm through my first round, you obviously kind of shake it off and you feel good about it," said Federer, who could break Jimmy Connors' record of 160 consecutive weeks atop the men's rankings at the end of next month.
Marcos Baghdatis, the surprise finalist here last year, opened with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over 2003 runner-up Rainer Schuettler, drawing wild cheers from the big gathering of Cypriots and Greeks in the crowd.
Roddick overcame a shaky start against French wild-card Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, wasting four set points in the opening tiebreaker and rallying from 2-5 in the second set to win 6-7 (18), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-3.
The 2003 US Open champion was constantly critical of umpire Carlos Ramos, calling the Portuguese official a "glorified scorekeeper" after a call that gave Tsonga a set point at 11-10 in the first tiebreaker. Roddick thought one of Tsonga's balls was 3 inches over the baseline.
Video replays are being used at Rod Laver Arena, the center court at Melbourne Park, for the first time at the Australian Open, but not on any other courts. The sixth-seeded Roddick was playing on the second show court, so he could not ask for a replay.
He said he would have challenged that point, among others.
"I think I got a little first-round jitters," Roddick said. "I played better as the match went on. I hope I can get better in the second round."
Roddick said at times he was scared in the first set against the 21-year-old Tsonga, who was playing only his sixth match in a top level ATP event.
"Absolutely, to say the least," Roddick said. "I was wondering if we were ever going to finish the tiebreaker."
Women's champion Amelie Mauresmo was the first female player up at Rod Laver Arena and started her title defense with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Shenay Perry.
Apart from dropping serve in the third game and again when serving for the match at 5-2, the second-seeded Mauresmo was in control as she returned to the scene of her biggest victory.
Mauresmo beat Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final last year to claim her first Grand Slam title, seven years after losing in her only other trip to the final of a major.
Mauresmo also won the Wimbledon title last summer and spent most of the season at No. 1.
Mauresmo said she felt under no extra pressure as defending champion.
"It was good. I felt pretty happy to go on the court and to play first and to be able to, right from the first day, go on court and defend a title," Mauresmo said.
Perry, a 22-year-old US player who finished last year at No. 43 in the rankings, let Mauresmo off the hook with 21 unforced errors.
Seventh-seeded Elena Dementieva of Russia advanced with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Stephanie Foretz of France. Tenth-seededNicole Vaidisova beat Jill Craybas 6-4, 5-7, 6-1.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE: Sabalenka aims to follow up with a third Australian Open win, while Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed a WTA 125 title in Canberra Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open. Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1. However, Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. “I struggled against her a couple of times [in
His team were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in agonizing fashion on Tuesday, but the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DR Congo) human statue Michel Kuka Mboladinga would be remembered as the tournament’s most remarkable supporter. The colorfully dressed Kuka has earned fame as the fan who stands completely immobile throughout his team’s games, looking toward the sky with his right arm raised and palm open. He has become a media star and on Tuesday was accompanied by a delegation of several hundred Congolese supporters whose trip to Morocco was paid for by the country’s government. They took their
RSS