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Melbourne - Defending champion and second seed Rafael Nadal wore down Australian Peter Luczak to begin his Australian Open campaign with a straight sets victory on Monday.
The Spanish world number two, bidding for his seventh Grand Slam title, overcame the 78th-ranked ranked Luczak 7-6 (7/0), 6-1, 6-4 in two hours 34 minutes.
Nadal, who is working his way back to full fitness after injuries blighted his last season, will next play either Argentina's Leonardo Mayer or Slovakia's Lukas Lacko with a potential quarter-final looming against Andy Murray.
Nadal, who beat Roger Federer in a gripping five-set final here last year, has not claimeda title since winning on the Barcelona clay last April.
He encountered a spirited opening from Luczak, cheered on him by his home crowd in Rod Laver Arena, and lost his service in the eighth game before breaking straight back in the next game.
The opening set went to a tiebreaker but Nadal stormed through without dropping a point to seize the initiative.
Luczak appeared to lose steam after the loss of the first set and Nadal broke him twice to wrap up the second set in 33 minutes and broke him again in the opening game of the third to control the match.
Nadal dominated the points, hitting 35 winners to Luczak's 29 and broke the Australian's service a total of four times to dropping his own serve just once in the first set.
Collated results from day one of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Monday (x denotes seeding):
Men's singles
1st round
Ivan Ljubicic (CRO x24) bt Jason Kubler (AUS) 6-1, 6-2, 6-2
Fernando Gonzalez (CHI x11) bt Olivier Rochus (BEL) 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Florian Mayer (GER) bt Philipp Petzschner (GER) 0-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
Andy Roddick (USA x7) bt Thiemo De Bakker (NED) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
Andy Murray (GBR x5) bt Kevin Anderson (RSA) 6-1, 6-1, 6-2
Wayne Odesnik (USA) bt Blaz Kavcic (SLO) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) bt Radek Stepanek (CZE x13) 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG x4) bt Michael Russell (USA) 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Bernard Tomic (AUS) bt Guillaume Rufin (FRA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Andrey Golubev (KAZ) bt Mardy Fish (USA) 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Peter Luczak (AUS) 7-6 (7/0), 6-1, 6-4
Women's singles
1st round
Dinara Safina (RUS x2) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 6-4, 6-4
Maria Kirilenko (RUS) bt Maria Sharapova (RUS x14) 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4
Zheng Jie (CHN) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 0-6, 6-1, 6-2
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) bt Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) 6-2, 6-4
Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR x30) bt Ioana Raluca (ROU) 6-2, 7-6 (8/6)
Yvonne Meusberger (AUT) bt Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
Elena Baltacha (GBR) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
Kim Clijsters (BEL x15) bt Valerie Tetreault (CAN) 6-0, 6-4
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) bt Alexandra Dulgheru (ROM) 1-6, 7-5, 10-8
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x3) bt Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) 6-1, 6-2
Flavia Pennetta (ITA x12) bt Anna Chakvedatze (RUS) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP x24) bt Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) 6-0, 6-0
Justine Henin (BEL) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-4, 6-3
Elena Dementieva (RUS x5) bt Vera Dushevina (RUS) 6-2, 6-1
Alisa Kelybanova (RUS bt Jelena Dokic (AUS) 6-1, 7-5
