Ivanovic highest-profile casualty as seeds fall

Fifth seed Ana Ivanovic admitted she was in need of a new approach after Czech qualifier Lucie Hradecka shocked the fifth seed 1-6 6-3 6-2 on the opening day of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Ivanovic looked to be in charge of her match on Rod Laver Arena when she sauntered through the first set, but won just five more games in as she exited the tournament.

The former world number one reached the quarter-finals here last year and came into the event on the back of reaching the final of the recent WTA Tour event in Brisbane.

But the 27-year-old Serbian has now failed to reach a single Grand Slam semi-final in 27 attempts since winning the French Open in 2008.

"I think the whole match I didn't really feel like myself out there," Ivanovic said. "It was really tough for me to find my rhythm.

"There is always nerves in the beginning. I felt like I was maybe lacking a little bit of practice this week, I had some issues. But I played okay in the beginning. I just felt second and third set I really dropped my level.

"It's really disappointing. You know, it's probably the worst thing could happen. But still, the year is young and I really have to now sit and work on a few things and just maybe try to have a different approach to this kind of event and try to see what was lacking."

World number 142 Hradecka could hardly comprehend what she had achieved, adding: "I still don't believe that it's true. Probably in a couple of hours I will know that I am in the second round in Australian Open and I beat Ana."

Sharapova a party pooper in Melbourne

Maria Sharapova ruined Petra Martic's 24th birthday by recording a 6-4 6-1 victory.

Sharapova ran hot and cold in the first set, taking a 5-2 lead only for the Croatian to battle back to 5-4 and holding a break point to get the match back on serve before Sharapova held and then broke to seal the set in 43 minutes.

The Russian five-time Grand Slam champion faced some staunch resistance from the 184th-ranked Croatian in the second set despite the one-sided scoreline, but was mostly able to convert the crucial points when they mattered.

Sharapova will now meet compatriot Alexandra Panova in the second round after she beat Romania's Sorana Cirstea 7-5 6-0.

Sharapova said she was well aware of the number of seeds being beaten and was determined not to become another casualty.

"I think especially from the media and the press side, you always talk about the match-ups, the draw, as in the future opponents," the Russian said.

"Realistically, it's important to focus on what's ahead you. You can't look further than your next opponent.

"I think we all take that extremely serious. You never know what you're going to get. You get really inspired opponents that are not seeded in the first round or that are coming from qualifying, and everyone's eager to do well in this type of environment.

"You can't ever underestimate their potential and how they can play. They're going to fight till the very last point.

"There were quite a few upsets today. Of course I was very well aware of that. I watched some of it on TV. I had a long day before my match. I certainly didn't want to be one of them."

Bouchard powers past Friedsam

Seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard cruised past German Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-2 6-4.

The Canadian, who took just 78 minutes to wrap up the match, will face Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands in the second round after the Dutch woman defeated home hope Daria Gavrilova 7-6 (10/8) 5-7 6-2.

Seeds struggle

Ivanovic was not the only seed to make an early exit, with Julia Goerges hammering 32nd seed Belinda Bencic 6-2 6-1, while France's Caroline Garcia was a 6-4 6-2 winner over 27th seed and former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Kristina Mladenovic also caused an upset on a good day for France, with the 21-year-old overcoming former Wimbledon finalist and 28th seed Sabine Lisicki 4-6 6-4 6-2.

Third seed Simona Halep lost the first two games of her match with Italy's Karin Knapp, but bounced back to win 6-3 6-2.

Ninth seed Angelique Kerber also suffered a surprise defeat as Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu won a game of massive momentum shifts 6-4 0-6 6-1.

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