MELBOURNE, Jan 14: Top seed Novak Djokovic served up only flashes of his best tennis on the opening day of the Australian Open but took a comfortable first step on the path he hopes will lead to an unprecedented hat-trick of titles at Melbourne Park in two weeks’ time.

Perhaps keeping energy in reserve for the battles that lie ahead, the world No 1’s workmanlike 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 victory over Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu on Monday summed up a day where the year’s first Grand Slam failed to really fire.

While Djokovic only roused himself when necessary, Maria Sharapova was ruthless as she swept aside any fears about her fitness with a thumping 6-0, 6-0 win over compatriot Olga Puchkova on Rod Laver Arena.

American Venus Williams and China’s Li Na, both former losing finalists, also enjoyed emphatic wins to breeze into the second round, while in-form fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska extended her perfect start to the year to 10 matches.

Upsets are often the catalyst that jolt a tournament into life but Argentina’s Juan Monaco was the first seed to fall in the early evening and his 7-6, 6-1, 6-1 defeat was as much down to hand and leg injuries as Russian Andrey Kuznetsov.

Lleyton Hewitt did his best to produce another shock in front of a partisan night crowd but eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic brought a rapid end to the Australian’s 17th appearance at his home open with a 7-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory.

With Andy Murray and Roger Federer not beginning their campaigns until Tuesday and Rafa Nadal absent injured, Monday was an opportunity for those players just outside the elite of the men’s game to strut their stuff.

Results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

First round: 28-Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) bt Albert Ramos (Spain) 6-7 (0-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Kevin Anderson (South Africa) bt Paolo Lorenzi (Italy) 3-6, 7-6 (6-3), 6-3, 6-4; 31-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) bt Viktor Troicki (Serbia) 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5; 8-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) bt Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 6-3; Tatsuma Ito (Japan) bt John Millman (Australia) 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 0-6, 7-5; Roberto Bautista (Spain) bt Fabio Fognini (Italy) 6-0, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1; 20-Sam Querrey (US) bt Daniel Munoz (Spain) 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4; 24-Jerzy Janowicz (Poland) bt Simone Bolelli (Italy) 7-5, 6-4, 6-3; Lukas Lacko (Slovakia) bt Gilles Muller (Luxembourg) 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3); 4-David Ferrer (Spain) bt Olivier Rochus (Belgium) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; Andrey Kuznetsov (Russia) bt 11-Juan Monaco (Argentina) 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, 6-1; Feliciano Lopez (Spain) bt Arnau Brugues (Spain) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4; Brian Baker (US) bt Alex Bogomolov Jr (Russia) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-7 (0-7), 3-6, 6-2; 23-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt Matthew Ebden (Australia) 4-6, 6-7 (0-7), 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; Tim Smyczek (US) bt Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5; Somdev Devvarman (India) bt Bjoern Phau (Germany) 6-3, 6-2, 6-3; Tobias Kamke (Germany) bt Flavio Cipolla (Italy) 6-1, 6-4, 6-1; 1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) bt Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) 6-2, 6-4, 7-5; 22-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) bt David Goffin (Belgium) 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; 26-Jurgen Melzer (Austria) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) 6-1, 6-1, 6-2; 5-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) bt Michael Russell (US) 6-3, 7-5, 6-3; Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France) bt Ruben Bemelmans (Belgium) 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 2-6, 7-5; 11-9 Ryan Harrison (US) bt Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4; Evgeny Donskoy (Russia) bt Adrian Ungur (Romania) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2; Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) bt Maxime Authom (Belgium) 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4), 6-2; Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) bt Lukasz Kubot (Poland) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-0, 4-6, 6-4; 10-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) bt Steve Johnson (US) 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2; 15-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) bt Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (Germany) 6-2, 6-4, 6-3; Guillaume Rufin (France) bt Julian Reister (Germany) 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, 6-2; 16-Kei Nishikori (Japan) bt Victor Hanescu (Romania) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-1, 6-3; Xavier Malisse (Belgium) bt Pablo Andujar (Spain) 6-3, 6-1, 6-2; 32-Julien Benneteau (France) bt Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. Women’s singles: 13-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) bt Melinda Czink (Hungary) 6-2, 6-1; Ksenia Pervak (Kazakhstan) bt 32-Mona Barthel (Germany) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4; Madison Keys (US) bt Casey Dellacqua (Australia) 6-4, 7-6 (7-00); Chan Yung-Jan (Taiwan) bt Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 6-1, 1-6, 6-1; Heather Watson (Britain) bt Alexandra Cadantu (Romania) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2; Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) bt Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) 6-2, 7-6 (10-8); Stephanie Foretz Gacon (France) bt Camila Giorgi (Italy) 6-2, 6-3; Vesna Dolonc (Serbia) bt Olivia Rogowska (Australia) 5-7, 7-5, 8-6; 30-Tamira Paszek (Austria) bt Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5; 15-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) bt Ashleigh Barty (Australia) 3-6, 6-0, 6-1; Zheng Jie (China) bt Zhang Yuxuan (China) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4; 11-Marion Bartoli (France) bt Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 6-2, 6-4; Valeria Savinykh (Russia) bt Mandy Minella (Luxembourg) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1; Irina Begu (Romania) bt Arantxa Rus (Netherlands) 6-4, 6-2; Maria Joao Koehler (Portugal) bt Karin Knapp (Italy) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3; 5-Angelique Kerber (Germany) bt Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) 6-2, 6-4; Alize Cornet (France) bt Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 10-8; 22-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) bt Johanna Larsson (Sweden) 6-2, 6-2; Misaki Doi (Japan) bt Petra Martic (Croatia) 6-3, 6-4; 23-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) bt Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) 6-1, 6-2; 19-Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) bt Michelle Larcher de Brito (Portugal) 6-2, 7-5; Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) bt Nina Bratchikova (Russia) 6-4, 6-3; 4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) bt Bojana Bobusic (Australia) 7-5, 6-0; 9-Samantha Stosur (Australia) bt Chang Kai-Chen (Taiwan) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3; Romina Oprandi (Switzerland) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2; 18-Julia Goerges (Germany) bt Vera Dushevina (Russia) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4; Olga Govortsova (Belarus) bt Pauline Parmentier (France) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2; 6-Li Na (China) bt Sesil Karatantcheva (Kazakhstan) 6-1, 6-3; 27-Sorana Cirstea (Romania) bt Coco Vandeweghe (US) 6-4, 6-2; Kristyna Pliskova (Czech Republic) bt Sacha Jones (Australia) 6-3, 6-2; 25-Venus Williams (US) bt Galina Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan) 6-1, 6-0; 2-Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt Olga Puchkova (Russia) 6-0, 6-0.—Reuters