No worries for big guns

Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt led the big guns safely through to the second round of the Australian Open in Melbourne today.

Second seed Roddick was made to fight hard against Georgian Irakli Labadze before taking the first set 7-5, but the former US Open champion then eased to victory, taking the second and third sets for the loss of just three more games.

For the third time in a row Hewitt faced Arnaud Clement in the opening round of a tournament, and familiarity must be breeding contempt for the Frenchman, Hewitt running out a 6-3 6-4 6-1 winner.

Roddick’s victory set up a big-serving clash with Britain’s Greg Rusedski, who came from a set down to beat Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman in a battle of the over 30s.

The American has beaten Rusedski in their last three meetings, the Briton’s only success coming in their first clash at Wimbledon in 2002.

“Greg is tough. He’s going to be all over the net and he makes life uncomfortable because you don’t see many serve and volleyers any more,” admitted Roddick.

“I’ll have to try and hold my serve and take my chances when I get them.

“It wasn’t great tennis in the first set today but the last couple of sets I felt like I started hitting the ball a little bit better. You’d rather have momentum going that way than backwards.”

Roddick surprisingly split from coach Brad Gilbert towards the end of last year but praised new coach Dean Goldfine.

“I just felt like the relationship with Brad had run its course,” he added. “I had plateaued a little at the end of last year and definitely needed to try something to get a fresh start.

“More than anything I’m happy with Dean’s work ethic. We put in a lot of good time together in the off-season. We’re working on becoming a better athlete out there.”

Meanwhile the last man to beat Roger Federer had earlier bowed out in the first round.

Tomas Berdych overcame Federer in three sets in the second round of the Olympics in Athens in August, the last time the world number one tasted defeat.

But the 19-year-old Czech player was no match for Argentina’s Guillermo Coria in Melbourne today, the sixth seed recording a 6-2 6-4 6-0 victory on the Rod Laver Arena.

Compatriot Guillermo Canas, who defeated Tim Henman in the third round last year and could face the British number one in the fourth round this year, also moved into the second round.

Canas defeated home favourite Chris Guccione 6-4 6-2 7-6 and will face Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the last 64. Verdasco was a straight-sets winner over Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller.

France’s Sebastien Grosjean also progressed safely to the second round, the 14th seed beating compatriot Michael Llodra 6-3 6-4 6-3.

Argentina’s David Nalbandian recovered from two sets to one down to eventually overcome Spain’s David Ferrer.

Nalbandian, the ninth seed, was in danger of only his second ever first-round exit at a grand slam before fighting back to claim a 7-6 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory.