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Melbourne - Defending champion Roger Federer dazzled under the Australian Open lights to waltz through to the second round with a straight sets win over Aljaz Bedene on Tuesday.
The ageless Swiss marvel, rated as the favourite to win his 20th Grand Slam title, thrilled the Rod Laver Arena crowd with a virtuoso performance.
The second seed cruised to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win in 1hr 39min and will next play German Jan-Lennard Struff.
It improved his Australian Open record to 88-13 in his 19th campaign Down Under.
Federer, who insists he is too old at 36 to be rated the tournament favourite, put away the 51st-ranked Slovenian with a catalogue of his signature shot-making.
"My dream was always to play a long time on tour and we had a few guys playing a long time and I think that inspired me," he said post-match.
"I'm loving it and hopefully I can play for a little longer."
Federer raced to the first set in 26 minutes and claimed the second on his fourth set point as Bedene raised his level.
The Swiss great thrilled the centre court night crowd with an exquisite curving forehand down the line and past Bedene for another service break early in the final set.
Federer is coming off an extraordinary 2017, when he won a fifth Australian Open title and a record eighth at Wimbledon, and the way things are shaping there could be yet more glory with his main threats scrambling to be ready.
It was in Melbourne a year ago where he lit the fuse on his late-life tennis renaissance, beating Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori, Mischa Zverev and Stan Wawrinka before downing great rival Rafael Nadal in a five-set final classic.
"I was thinking a lot about what happened at the tournament last year because it was my favourite tournament of the whole season ... it was such a surprise," Federer said.
"I'm hoping for it to go well again, I'm not sure it can go this well because last year was so good.
"I'm a year older and guys are coming back ... I can't control it all.
"Last year was last year ... it could be my favourite year of my career. I'll keep working hard and see what happens at the end."
Collated results from the Australian Open on Tuesday:
Men's singles
1st round
Jiri Vesely (CZE) bt Vaclav Safranek (CZE) 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
Adrian Mannarino (FRA x26) bt Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Roberto Bautista (ESP x20) 6-1, 7-5, 7-5
Maximilian Marterer (GER) bt Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (GER) 6-0, 6-3, 6-4
Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Taro Daniel (JPN) 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/0), 6-4, 6-1
Sam Querrey (USA x13) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Radu Albot (MDA) 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
Nicolas Kicker (ARG) bt Jordan Thompson (AUS) 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3
Lukas Lacko (SVK) bt Milos Raonic (CAN x22) 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)
Stan Wawrinka (SUI x9) bt Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7/2)
Albert Ramos (ESP x21) bt Jared Donaldson (USA) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Peter Gojowczyk (GER) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 6-3, 6-3, 6-1
Alexander Zverev (GER x4) bt Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5
David Goffin (BEL x7) bt Matthias Bachinger (GER) 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) bt Florian Mayer (GER) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) bt Robin Haase (NED) 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (6/8), 7-5
Novak Djokovic (SRB x14) bt Donald Young (USA) 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Kwon Soon-woo (KOR) 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
Denis Kudla (USA) bt Steve Johnson (USA) 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2
Tennys Sandgren (USA) bt Jeremy Chardy (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2
Fabio Fognini (ITA x25) bt Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 6-4, 6-4, 7-5
Gael Monfils (FRA) bt Jaume Munar (ESP) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4
Tim Smyczek (USA) bt Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 6-3, 6-7 (14/16), 6-3, 6-3
Chung Hyeon (KOR) bt Mischa Zverev (GER x32) 6-2, 4-1 ret
Richard Gasquet (FRA x29) bt Blaz Kavcic (SLO) 6-1, 6-4, 7-5
Daniil Medvedev (RUS) bt Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) 6-2, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (10/8), 6-4
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) bt Benoit Paire (FRA) 6-0, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-4
Karen Khachanov (RUS) bt Peter Polansky (CAN) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Aljaz Bedene (GBR) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
Tomas Berdych (CZE x19) bt Alex de Minaur (AUS) 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, 6-1
Dominic Thiem (AUT x5) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Juan Martin Del Potro (ARGx12) bt Frances Tiafoe (USA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
Women's singles
1st round
Johanna Konta (GBR x9) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-3, 6-1
Bernarda Pera (USA) bt Anna Blinkova (RUS) 6-2, 6-2
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE x20) bt Kristie Ahn (USA) 6-1, 7-5
Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) bt Richel Hogenkamp (NED) 6-1, 6-2
Lucie Safarova (CZE x29) bt Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO) 7-5, 6-3
Karolina Pliskova (CZE x6) bt Veronica Cepede (PAR) 6-3, 6-4
Angelique Kerber (GER x21) bt Anna-Lena Friedsam (GER) 6-0, 6-4
Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) bt Kurumi Nara (JPN) 7-5, 6-4
Caroline Garcia (FRA x8) bt Carina Witthoeft (GER) 7-5, 6-3
Elena Vesnina (RUS x16) bt Ons Jabeur (TUN) 6-3, 6-4
Maria Sharapova (RUS) bt Tatjana Malek (GER) 6-1, 6-4
Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) bt Christina McHale (USA) 6-3, 6-2
Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) bt Oceane Dodin (FRA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)
Sorana Cirstea (ROM) bt Zarina Diyas (KAZ) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) bt Lizette Cabrera (AUS) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4
Donna Vekic (CRO) bt Nao Hibino (JPN) 7-5, 6-3
Madison Keys (USA x17) bt Qiang Wang (CHN) 6-1, 7-5
Simona Halep (ROM x1) bt Destanee Aiava (AUS) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1
Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO x28) bt Shelby Rogers (USA) 7-6 (8/6), 5-7, 6-2
Anastasija Sevastova (LAT x14) bt Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Naomi Osaka (JPN) bt Kristina Kucova (SVK) 7-5, 6-2
Lesya Tsurenko (UKR) bt Natalia Vikhlyantseva (RUS) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Camila Giorgi (ITA) bt Anna Kalinskaya (RUS) 6-4, 6-3
Lauren Davis (USA) bt Jana Cepelova (SVK) 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-1
Andrea Petkovic (GER) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x27) 6-3, 4-6, 10-8
Hsieh Su-wei (TPE) bt Zhu Lin (CHN) 0-6, 6-0, 8-6
Ana Bogdan (ROM) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA x11) 6-3, 6-2
Garbine Muguruza (ESP x3) bt Jessika Ponchet (FRA) 6-4, 6-3
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x26) bt Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 7-5, 7-6 (8/6)
Ashleigh Barty (AUS x18) bt Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-4
