Wozniacki, Roddick and Federer Cruise, While Querrey is Upset at 2011 Austrailian Open

Four-time Austrailian Open Champion and the current defending champion Roger Federer defeated Lukas Lacko of Slovakia in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in opening round action at the 2011 Australian Open. American Andy Roddick, looking to start 2011 off on the right foot, also moved on to the second round winning easily in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.

Number 18-ranked Sam Querrey and Nikoli Davydenko were the first of the men’s seeded players eliminated. Querrey lost 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 8-6 to Poland’s Lukasz Kubot, while Davydenko was eliminated in four sets by Florian Mayer 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3.

Gael Monfils of France narrowly avoided a first round defeat as he came back from two sets down to defeat Tomas de Bakker in five sets. Mardy Fish also needed five tough sets to get by Victor Hanescu, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3.

Twenty-sixth-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina defeated lucky loser Simon Greul in straight sets, while young American Ryan Harrison had a disappointing showing and was knocked off in straight sets by Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

On the women’s side, Caroline Wozniacki started her first major as the number one-ranked woman with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Argentina’s Gisela Dulko. Dulko, the top-ranked doubles player, tested Wozniacki in the second set and pulled level at 4-4 with a service break, but the Danish player broke back immediately and served it out on her second match point after a double-fault on her first. Wozniacki won six tournaments in 2010, including four of her last six, and can retain the top spot by making the semifinals here.

Maria Sharapova won for the first time at Melbourne Park since taking the 2008 Australian Open title, beating Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn, 6-1, 6-3. After losing the opening service game at love, Sharapova won seven straight games to take a 6-1, 1-0 lead. Even when she was winning, though, Sharapova had trouble finding range with her serve. She had 10 double-faults and five aces.

French Open champion Francesca Schiavone had a couple of stutters before advancing with a 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4 victory over Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain. The sixth-seeded Schiavone had a chance to serve for the match at 5-3 in the third but was broken. The Italian player recovered quickly, breaking Parra Santonja’s service in the next game to take the match.

In other women’s first-round matches, number 20 Kaia Kanepi of Estona beat Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, and number 29 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia advanced with a 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4 win over Germany’s Angelique Kerber.

For more information, visit www.australianopen.com.