Novak Djokovic starts Australian Open hat-trick bid with comfortable win

Novak Djokovic will next play the American Ryan Harrison in the Australian Open second round.

                                                                                             

Novak Djokovic's bid to make history at the Australian Open started impressively as the world No1 swept aside the challenge of Paul-Henri Mathieu. Djokovic is hoping to become the first man in the Open era to win three successive titles in Melbourne and looked in ominously good form from the outset with an entertaining 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 win over the experienced Frenchman.

There were also wins on day one for seeds Tomas Berdych, Nicolás Almagro, Stanislas Warwinka and Kei Nishikori.

Mathieu, a former top-12 player, held his own for much of the second and third sets but Djokovic always appeared in control on his first competitive appearance on Rod Laver Arena since his thrilling near six-hour final win over Rafael Nadal last year.

The Serb set the tone in the opening game by breaking and claimed the Mathieu serve once again courtesy of a stunning backhand pass to establish a 4-1 first-set advantage. He duly saw out the set and then broke again to open the second.

Mathieu threatened an immediate response but some booming serves from Djokovic enabled him to escape from 0-40. Serve held sway for the rest of the set as it did in the third until Djokovic upped his level with a series of stunning winners to take a 6-5 lead.

And from there, there was no way back for Mathieu as Djokovic advanced to a meeting with the American Ryan Harrison.

"It's great to be back in Melbourne, this is by far my most successful court in my grand slam career," Djokovic said. "Twelve months ago I played a six-hour final here so it's amazing to be back."

Berdych, seeded five in Melbourne, enjoyed a routine 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 win over the American veteran Michael Russell but Almagro was pushed all the way by another American, the qualifier Steve Johnson.

Johnson matched the 10th-seeded Spaniard for much of their three hour, 10 minute-encounter before Almagro's greater experience proved key in his 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2 victory.

Wawrinka beat the German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe in straight sets while Nishikori hit back from dropping the opener to see off Romania's Victor Hanescu.

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