Underdogs bite back at Aussie Open

TOP seeds Serena Williams and Lleyton Hewitt were given a savaging

World number one Williams and male counterpart Hewitt are the overwhelming favourites with bookmakers to lift their respective singles titles in Melbourne.

But both players were grateful to survive searching first round examinations on the Rod Laver Arena after being put through the grinder by their unheralded opponents.

Williams, chasing a 'Serena Slam' with victory in Australia to add to her French, US and Wimbledon titles won last season, found herself out-thought and out-fought for long periods of her match against France's Emilie Loit.

Employing some clever shot variation to move the powerful American around the court, world no. 56 Loit reduced Williams to an obscenity-screaming mass of frustration at one stage.

Williams, who was given a code violation for her verbal barrage, eventually came through to win 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 in a gruelling 2hr 3min tussle. Williams now faces Belgium's Els Callens in the second round tomorrow.

Hewitt, who has the weight of national expectation bearing down on his 21-year-old shoulders as Australia hopes for its first Open winner since 1976, was taken to five sets by Swedish qualifier Magnus Larsson.

The 32-year-old Larsson's booming forehand caused all manner of problems for Hewitt before his superior fitness told and he secured a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 win. Hewitt will now play compatriot Todd Larkham in the next round.

Both Williams and Hewitt said they were simply relieved to have reached the second round after toughing out two matches they both described as a wake-up call.

"I'm happy to be through to the second round," Hewitt said. "It's a little bit of a wake up call for me," said Hewitt, praising his opponent Larsson.

"I thought he played incredibly well for a guy who didn't play many tournaments last year."

Williams meanwhile, said she was mystified at her inability to deal with Loit. "I don't know where I was today," she said. "But I'm okay.

"I didn't play anywhere near the way I can. It was me making errors and not attacking and focusing and a little tense and not doing the things I had to do.

"But now I'll be in the groove. Maybe this match was just the heads up for me that I needed. Everyone wants to try and beat me and I probably just need a reminder.

"I just had a bad day today," said Williams, the reigning French, US and Wimbledon champion. "I haven't had a bad day in a little while."

Though under pressure at times, Williams insisted she had always been confident of victory.

"I never thought I was going to lose. That thought never crossed my mind. I did think to myself 'Gosh, this is bad' but I never felt I was going to lose," said the 21-year-old.

Loit described the match as the highlight of her career.

"That's the best match I've ever played in on a tennis level and a feeling level," she said. "I was playing on the centre court, the public was great. It was a great match."

While Williams and Hewitt laboured to victory, there were no such worries for Belgian fourth seed Kim Clijsters, who revelled in the vocal support of the Australian fans to cruise into the second round.

Clijsters, who was later among the spectators as boyfriend Hewitt battled against Larsson, breezed past the US's' Samantha Reeves 6-2, 6-1.

She left the court to a rapturous applause from Australian fans, who have clearly adopted her as one of their own.

Clijsters, is regarded as the biggest threat to the dominance of the Williams sisters in the women's event.

But she declined to assess her chances of prevailing over the American duo after her win, which set up a meeting with Hungary's Petra Mandula.

"I don't know, I don't really think in that way," Clijsters said, when asked if she felt she could beat the Williams sisters. "I'll just try to get the best out of my game and we'll see.

"I've beaten Serena and Venus once before. But everytime you play them it's a different match," said Clijsters, who bombarded Reeves with 22 winners during the routine workout.

Sixth-seed Monica Seles, seeking to become Australian Open champion for the fifth time, showed Slovakian Grand Slam debutante Lubomira Kurhajcova no mercy on her way to a 6-0, 6-1 win in 45 minutes.

Elsewhere, sixth seed Roger Federer was made work hard as he came through a three-hour tie with Brazil's Flavio Saretta, winning 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, 6-3.

Another Brazilian, Gustavo Kuerten, won a testing encounter with Morocco's Hicham Arazi, The three-time French Open Champion winning 6-4, 7-6 (10/8), 6-3. Last year's finalist Marat Safin meanwhile, seeded three, overcame Raemon Sluiter of the Netherlands 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

In the final game of the night, ninth-seeded Andy Roddick of the United States overcame Croatia's Zeljko Krajan in four sets, winning 6-7 (9/11), 6-2, 7-6 (7/0), 6-3.