Updated: Monday, 19 Jan 2015 14:59 | Comments
Roger Federer recorded win number 1,001 of his amazing career as he eased into the second round of the Australian Open on Monday with a 6-4 6-2 7-5 victory over Yen-Hsun Lu.
Seeking his 18th Grand Slam title and first in Melbourne since 2010, Federer was in complete command against the world number 47, winning in one hour and 53 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
The 33-year-old fired nine aces and won 86% of points on his first serve and will face Simone Bolelli in the last 64 after the Italian defeated Argentina's Juan Monaco 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-1.
"I thought it was a really good level," Federer said. "Lu played a tough match and I really had to step it up. I've played him before so knew what he was capable of.
"The season is still early and it's tough to get rhythm, especially in the first round but it was a nice match."
Federer, who recorded his 1,000th win in the final of the Brisbane International earlier this month, has never lost in the first round of the Australian Open and there was never any danger of that record being broken.
One break of serve was enough to secure the opening set and two more gave him the second, although the second seed did have to save two break points when serving at 5-2.
There were a few signs of frustration from Federer as he battled to gain another break in the third set, the Swiss star having to wait until the 11th game to end Lu's resistance.
Nadal allays fitness concerns with facile win
Rafael Nadal got back to winning ways with a comfortable 6-3 6-2 6-2 triumph over Russian Mikhail Youzhny.
The 28-year-old lost on his comeback from a wrist injury and appendicitis against Germany's Michael Berrer at the Qatar Open earlier this month, but he looked much more like his old self here.
Nadal, seeded third Down Under, needed just one hour and 49 minutes to dispatch world number 49 Youzhny and now faces either Russian Andrey Kuznetsov or fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the second round.
Youzhny, 32, went into the match-up knowing he has previously beaten the 14-times grand slam winner, having chalked up four hard-court wins in the past, but he never looked like adding to those victories.
Nadal, who had played only eight matches since Wimbledon last year, started off somewhat tentatively, but soon broke Youzhny to go 3-2 up with a fine forehand winner and never looked back from there.
He raced through the rest of the first set, taking it 6-3 in just 37 minutes.
The Spaniard began to find his groove on serve in the second set, with Youzhny having no answer to the power and variety of the third seed.
That security gave Nadal a platform, which was ideal for him as he feels his way back to full fitness, and while his famed aggression only appeared in flashes, he continued to ease through proceedings, wrapping up the second set 6-2.
Earlier this week, Nadal wrote off his chances of winning a second title in Melbourne this year, but if he continues to cultivate the seeds of improvement sown here, he might have to revise that prediction.
A deft half-volley at the net and then a sumptuous baseline winner at full stretch on the move demonstrated just how much Nadal was in a different class at the start of the third set.
Youzhny did offer some resistance and started to make Nadal work harder for such glorious moments, but it was always a case of delaying the inevitable, and once Nadal found a way through he was clinical in finishing off Youzhny.
Speaking afterwards Nadal pledged to keep on doing all he can to get even better.
"I am working very hard to try to get back to my best level again and the only way to get there is to work every day on the practice court and every match is important," he told Eurosport.
He also alluded to the fact that he was unsure how he would react going into the game but was reassured by aspects of his performance.
"I was a little bit under doubt before, but I think I played without making too many mistakes and the only way to get better is to win more matches so it will probably help me," he added.
"In general I was working well, returning well and I just need to build a little bit, such as being more dynamic with the movements some times. But for the rest I am more or less happy."
Murray advances in unconvincing fashion
Andy Murray blasted his own performance and cracked a racket in frustration before securing his place in the second round.
The Scot defeated world number 317 Yuki Bhambri in straight sets on Margaret Court Arena, but was made to work hard to claim a 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7/3) victory in two hours and 13 minutes.
The 27-year-old had to come back from 4-1 down in the third set and said: "The whole match he made it very difficult. He played very aggressive, he is very talented and he made it tough.
"I'd never hit with him or seen him play before, which made it tricky. He had a bad injury last year and should not be ranked 300 in the world. I expect to see him much higher this year."
Sixth seed Murray looked to be cruising through the opening set when he took advantage of two unforced errors from his opponent to break in the fourth game and then held serve to love to lead 4-1.
However, on his next service game it was the former Wimbledon champion's turn to find the net on consecutive points to allow 2009 Australian Open junior champion Bhambri back into the set.
A brilliant backhand winner down the line gave Murray the chance to break straight back in the next game and he let out a cry of 'Come on' when he thought he had done just that, only to embarrassingly see the ball called in after it dipped suddenly and caught the back of the line.
That was just a temporary setback however, Murray winning the next two points to break before serving out the set to love, finishing it in style with an ace.
There was a worrying moment for Murray when he stumbled awkwardly behind the baseline on the first point of the second set, but the 27-year-old did not appear to suffer a significant injury.
He was still not being given an easy time by Bhambri and had to save a break point to level the scores at 1-1, but a break of his own in the seventh game put him firmly in command.
It looked as though another lapse in concentration would prove costly when Murray fell 15-40 down in the next game, but he rattled off the next four points in a row and soon secured the set 6-4 for a two-set lead.
Despite that commanding position, Murray was clearly unhappy with his own performance, loudly decrying his own "shocking movement" as he fell 30-40 behind on his serve in the fourth game.
And his mood was not improved when a net cord ensured Bhambri took his chance to break, Murray slamming his racket into the ground in frustration and appearing to crack the frame.
Murray was keeping up a near-constant diatribe against himself as he fell 4-1 behind, but it at least appeared to do the trick as a superb forehand winner helped him break back.
A tie-break was eventually required to settle the set and a double fault from Bhambri on the first point gave Murray an advantage he would not relinquish, the Olympic champion taking it 7-3 to seal an unconvincing win.
Dimitrov and Berdych advance
Tournament 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov needed just 69 minutes to beat Dustin Brown 6-2 6-3 6-2.
Seventh seed Tomas Berdych also progressed without dropping a set against Colombia's Alejandro Falla, but 15th seed Tommy Robredo was forced to retire after just five games of his match with France's Edouard Roger-Vasselin due to a groin injury.
The most exciting match of the day was saved until last as Australian wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis defeated 11th seed Ernests Gulbis 5-7 6-0 1-6 7-6 (7/2) 8-6 in the fifth set in a match which finished at 11.07pm local time.
The 18-year-old world number 147 saved four match points at 5-6 in the fourth set and six break points in the decider, one of them in the 13th game courtesy of a Hawk-Eye challenge which showed the ball had caught a tiny amount of the baseline.
Gulbis had been so convinced the ball was long that he was already at his chair expecting to have the chance to serve for the match, but lost his own serve in the next game to spark massive celebrations from a packed crowd on court three.
Kokkinakis' fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios, who beat Nadal on his way to the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, also needed five sets to get the better of Argentina's Federico Delbonis, the 19-year-old winning 7-6 (7/2) 3-6 6-3 6-7 (5/7) 6-3.
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