January 15, 2008	Tuesday	Muharram 05, 1429

MELBOURNE Jan 14: The prizefighters of tennis punched their way out of trouble at the Australian Open on Monday but British hope Andy Murray was felled by a fierce right hand at Melbourne Park.

Serena Williams and Justine Henin fought off nerves and tricky conditions while Rafael Nadal survived an inspired opponent and Jelena Jankovic and Amelie Mauresmo clawed back from behind in first-round matches.

Murray, though, was helpless against French enigma Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The British ninth seed, fancied as an outsider for the title, weathered withering blows in the first set, his legs wobbled in the second and, after a gutsy fightback, was sent to the canvas in the fourth, beaten 7-5, 6-4, 0-6, 7-6.

Second seed Nadal struggled with the cool evening conditions and Viktor Troicki, a Serbian qualifier in his first grand slam.

World No 126 Troicki had a set point at 6-5 in the first set and led 4-2 in the second, but Nadal fought back strongly to advance with a 7-6, 7-5, 6-1 win.

Sixth seed Andy Roddick served his way to a thumping 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 win over Lukas Dlouhy but men's 11th seed Tommy Robredo belonged in the strugglers' camp, needing four hours to down Germany's Mischa Zverev 4-6, 2-6, 7-6, 6-4, 7-5.

Spanish 16th seed Carlos Moya was not quite so lucky, though, the 1997 runner-up losing 7-6, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4 to Austrian Stefan Koubek, while 18th seed Juan Iganacio Chela also bit the dust.

The scorelines for Henin and Williams were emphatic but third-seeded Serb Jankovic endured an almighty ordeal before seeing off Austrian teenager Tamira Paszek.

Against Jankovic, three match points came and went for 17-year-old Paszek, who served for victory five times in a third set which included 15 breaks.

Experience told ultimately, however, with Jankovic winning 2-6, 6-2, 12-10 in three hours 10 minutes.

Serena needed just an hour to dispatch Australian wildcard Jarmila Gajdosova 6-3, 6-3.

Top seed Henin also made a winning return to Melbourne Park but did not have it all her way against Japan's Aiko Nakamura.

The world No 1 missed last year's Australian Open as she was going through a divorce but it was business as usual on the opening day of the 2008 event with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.

Henin failed with almost half her first serves, hit 26 unforced errors and will want to tighten her game up against Russia's Olga Poutchkova in the second round.

Former world No 1 Lindsay Davenport, in great form since returning last year following the birth of her first child, also struggled against Sara Errani before winning 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.

The American was not too upset about her performance, though, the victory making her the all-time career prize winning leader for women's sports with $21,897,501, passing Steffi Graf's 10-year record.

Results:

Men’s singles:

First round: 2-Rafael Nadal (Spain) bt Viktor Troicki (Serbia) 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 6-1; Stefan Koubek (Austria) bt 16-Carlos Moya (Spain) 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 6-4; Florent Serra (France) bt Florian Mayer (Germany) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-5); Agustin Calleri (Argentina) bt Luis Horna (Peru) 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-4; Feliciano Lopez (Spain) bt Wayne Odesnik (US) 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 6-4; 26-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) bt Julien Benneteau (France) 6-,3 6-3, 6-3; 8-Richard Gasquet (France) bt Nick Lindahl (Australia) 6-0, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2; 29-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) bt Roko Karanusic (Croatia) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1; 14-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt Mathieu Montcourt (France) 6-0, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3); Alejandro Falla (Colombia) bt Kevin Anderson (South Africa) 5-7, 7-5, 6-7 (8-10), 6-2, 7-5; Evgeny Korolev (Russia) bt Marcel Granollers (Spain) 7-5, 6-2, 6-0; Nicolas Mahut (France) bt Jose Acasuso (Argentina) 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5; Sam Warburg (US) bt Juan Pablo Brzezicki (Argentina) 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4; Andreas Seppi (Italy) bt Harel Levy (Israel) 6-4, 6-2, 6-1; Michael Berrer (Germany) bt Donald Young (US) 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 7-6 (7-5); 4-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) bt Michael Llodra (France) 7-5, 7-5, 6-3; Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) bt 18-Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) 6-4, 6-2, 1-6, 6-2; Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) bt 9-Andy Murray (Britain) 7-5, 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (7-5); 6-Andy Roddick (US) bt Lukas Dlouhy (Czech Republic) 6-3, 6-4, 7-5; Marc Gicquel (France) bt Lu Yen-hsun (Taiwan) 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-2; 31-Igor Andreev (Russia) bt Andrei Pavel (Romania) 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; 11-Tommy Robredo (Spain) bt Mischa Zverev (Germany) 4-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 7-5; Rainer Schuettler (Germany) bt Arnaud Clement (France) 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4; 28-Gilles Simon (France) bt Bobby Reynolds (US) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4; 20-Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) bt Jamie Baker (Britain) 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (1-7), 6-4; Kristof Vliegen (Belgium) bt Olivier Patience (France) 6-0, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3); Paul Capdeville (Chile) bt Brydan Klein (Australia) 6-4, 7-5, 6-4; 23-Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) bt Victor Hanescu (Romania) 6-1, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2; Mardy Fish (US) bt Boris Pashanski (Serbia) 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; 24-Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) bt Frank Dancevic (Canada) 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 2-6, 6-1; Dudi Sela (Israel) bt Martin Slanar (Austria) 6-2, 6-4, 6-2; Jesse Levine (US) bt Martin Vassallo Arguello (Argentina) 6-1, 7-5, 6-1.

Women’s singles:

First round: 19-Sybille Bammer (Austria) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-2; Alicia Molik (Australia) bt Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5; 30-Virginie Razzano (France) bt Ashley Harkleroad (US) 6-3, 7-5; 12-Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) bt Raluca Olaru (Romania) 6-3, 6-0; Tatiana Perebiynis (Ukraine) bt Madison Brengle (US) 7-5, 6-2; 25-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) bt Emilie Loit (France) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5); Sandra Kloesel (Germany) bt Julia Schruff (Germany) 6-1, 6-7 (1-7), 6-4; Ai Sugiyama (Japan) bt 23-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) 6-3, 1-1 – Zvonareva retired; Casey Dell'Acqua (Australia) bt Karin Knapp (Italy) 4-6, 6-3, 8-6; Flavia Pennetta (Italy) bt Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4; Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) bt Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) 7-6 (7-1), 6-0; 5-Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt Jelena Kostanic Tosic (Croatia) 6-4, 6-3; Elena Vesnina (Russia) bt 32-Julia Vakulenko (Ukraine) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4; Yaroslava Shvedova (Russia) bt Tatjana Malek (Germany) 6-2, 6-2; 18-Amelie Mauresmo (France) bt Tatiana Poutchek (Belarus) 6-7 (6-8), 6-0, 6-0; 15-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) bt Lilia Osterloh (US) 6-3, 6-3; Hsieh Su-wei (Taiwan) bt Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) 2-6, 6-4, 8-6; Lindsay Davenport (US) bt Sara Errani (Italy) 6-2, 3-6, 7-5; 11-Elena Dementieva (Russia) bt Tzipora Obziler (Israel) 6-2, 6-2; Olga Poutchkova (Russia) bt Monique Adamczak (Australia) 6-4, 6-0; 17-Shahar Peer (Israel) bt Renata Voracova (Czech Republic) 6-2, 2-6, 6-0; 13-Tatiana Golovin (France) bt Stephanie Cohen-Aloro (France) 6-1, 4-6, 6-3; 26-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) bt Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) 6-2, 7-5; Jessica Moore (Australia) bt Julie Ditty (US) 6-3, 6-2; Jill Craybas (US) bt Chan Yung-jan (Taiwan) 6-4, 6-2; Angelique Kerber (Germany) bt Maret Ani (Estonia) 0-6, 6-3, 6-2; 3-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia bt Tamira Paszek (Austria) 2-6, 6-2, 12-10; 1-Justine Henin (Belgium) bt Aiko Nakamura (Japan) 6-2, 6-2; Yuan Meng (China) bt Ekaterina Ivanova (Russia) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2; Edina Gallovits (Romania) bt Stephanie Dubois (Canada) 7-6 (9-7), 6-3; Aravane Rezai (France) bt Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2; 7-Serena Williams (US) bt Jarmila Gajdosova (Australia) 6-3, 6-3.—Reuters