Andy Murray needs to dig deep into his reserves of self-belief to have a chance of navigating a daunting path to a first Australian Open title.

Defending champion David Nalbandian dropped out of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington DC at the first hurdle as he was defeated by James Blake.

The top seeds continued their procession through the first round of the Australian Open today to make a mockery of the widely held belief that there is great depth in the men’s game.

IRELAND’S Conor Niland yesterday extended his stunning run in the ATP Challenger Israel Open by nailing down a place in the final of the $100,000 outdoor hardcourt event, at Ramat Hasharon.

Retiring former world number one Marat Safin showed there is still life in him yet as he overcame fifth seed Phillipp Petzschner in their first-round meeting at the Thailand Open today.