Melbourne: Roger Federer didn't waste any time on Monday at the Australian Open, winning his opening match by playing like a man who doesn't want his remarkable 7 1/2-year run of success in Grand Slams to end.
Federer was rarely troubled in beating Lukas Lacko of Slovakia 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in 84 minutes on the first day at Melbourne Park, barely waiting for ballboys and ballgirls to get back to their positions before serving. The victory came at Rod Laver Arena, a stadium named after the player who Federer's main rival here — Rafael Nadal — is trying to emulate.
Nadal has won three majors in a row — last year's French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open. So unless Federer can win the final on Jan. 30, it will be the first time since winning Wimbledon in 2003 that the Swiss star hasn't held at least one major title.
His 24-year-old Spanish rival is trying to make it four in a row and complete his "Rafa Slam." Laver won all four in 1969, a true calendar year Grand Slam.
"I tried to play offensive from the start and see where it takes me," Federer said after his easy victory over Lacko. "I was able to keep on pressing, put him on the back foot. I was really happy I chose that tactic early on to pressure him."
Third-seeded Novak Djokovic, the 2008 champion, rolled through Marcel Granollers of Spain 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 with a relentess display of all-court tennis in the featured night match.
Andy Roddick also was rarely under pressure in his 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win Jan Hajek of the Czech Republic. The eighth-seeded American is trying to end a Grand Slam drought. Roddick's only major championship came at the 2003 U.S. Open.
"I had a good off season," Roddick said. "I feel healthy and strong for the first time in a while. I certainly feel like I'm prepared."
Two other American men had contrasting fortunes in five-setters — No. 18 Sam Querrey lost to Lukasz Kubot of Poland 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 8-6, while 16th-seeded Mardy Fish came back from two sets down to beat Victor Hanescu of Romania 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3.
"I've never come back from two sets to love before (and) I've had a long career," Fish said. "I've played a lot of five-set matches. It certainly was on my mind."
No. 23 Nikolay Davydenko, a quarterfinalist last year, lost 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 to Florian Mayer. Former world junior champion Thiemo De Bakker served for the match at 5-3 in the third against 12th-seeded Gael Monfils but wound up losing 6-7 (5), 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1.
Ninth-seeded Fernando Verdasco, who made an impressive run to the semifinals in Melbourne two years ago, beat Rainer Schuettler of Germany 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, while No. 17 Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia defeated Australian wild card entry Peter Luczak 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (2).
In other men's results, sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych, who lost the last Wimbledon final to Nadal, beat Marco Crugnola of Italy 6-4, 6-0, 6-2, and 28th-seeded Richard Gasquet of France defeated Canadian qualifier Frank Dancevic 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Gilles Simon of France beat Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 and will next face Federer. Simon is one of the few players on tour to have a winning mark against Federer, taking both previous meetings on hard courts in 2008.
"Maybe I will look just a bit more into what has worked and what has not worked against him (Simon) in the past," Federer said.
Caroline Wozniacki started her first major as the No. 1-ranked woman with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Argentina's Gisela Dulko. It was 20-year-old's first official tournament win of the year, following a straight-sets loss to Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova at the Sydney International and exhibition losses to No. 2 Vera Zvonareva and Kim Clijsters in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Wozniacki won six tournaments in 2010, including four of her last six.
Fifth-seeded Venus Williams advanced after beating Sara Errani of Italy 6-3, 6-2. The American star is the only Williams sister in the draw this year after defending champion Serena withdrew because of a foot injury.
Justine Henin overcame a slow start to beat Indian qualifier Sania Mirza 5-7, 6-3, 6-1. The 2010 Australian Open runner-up had one set point in the first, but allowed Mirza to break her service, then win the next two games to take the set.
The seven-time Grand Slam winner said it was a difficult match, but "even if I wasn't at my best, I was fighting at every point."
Maria Sharapova won for the first time at Melbourne Park since taking the 2008 title, beating Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 6-3 in the opening match on Rod Laver Arena.
Sharapova, who missed the 2009 tournament because of a shoulder injury and was ousted in the first round last year by fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, struggled with her serve and was inconsistent in the second set. She finished with 10 double-faults and five aces. After losing the opening service game at love, Sharapova won seven straight games to take a 6-1, 1-0 lead.
"I was definitely a little bit nervous in the beginning. Last year, I played first match on center and I lost," she said. "Kind of was like, 'I don't want this to happen again this year.'
French Open champion Francesca Schiavone had difficulty in her first match, beating Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4. In other women's matches, last year's semifinalist Li Na of China had a 6-1, 7-5 win over Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson and No. 15 Marion Bartoli of France shut out Italy's Tathiana Garbin 6-0, 6-0.
No. 20 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia and No. 29 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia advanced, along with No. 30 Andrea Petkovic, who beat American Jill Craybas 6-1, 6-2.
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