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Roger Federer took his first step towards a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam title with a 6-1 7-6 7-5 victory over Italy's Andreas Seppi in the first round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Federer proved he was in good touch, producing an audacious overarm forehand in the fifth game. He first turned and then while running at full speed glanced over his shoulder to see Seppi's positioning as the Italian approached the net and then passed him down the line.

The shot drew a sustained round of applause from the crowd and a wry grin from the 27-year-old Swiss.

Seppi produced a better performance in the second set, holding a set point on Federer's serve at 6-5, though as the pair traded shots down the line both appealed each other's shot with Seppi's adjudged out on television review to return the score to deuce and his advantage was lost.

While the Italian traded shot for shot with Federer in some long rallies during the tie-break, the second seed took a decisive 3-1 break that he extended before sealing the set 7-4.

Seppi again refused to be intimidated and on several occasions matched Federer, though his ultimate failure was converting break points when he had the opportunity.

Five times Seppi could have broken serve and possibly forced the match into a fourth set, and on five occassions Federer held him off.

Federer held a match point in the 10th game but was unable to convert and then two further chances in the 12th, one of which he sent long while Seppi saved the other with a powerful forehand cross-court winner.

The former world number one, however, was not to be held off any longer and when he set up his fourth match point he sealed victory when Seppi sent a backhand over the baseline.

Federer will next meet Russian qualifier Evgeny Korolev, who upset former world number one Carlos Moya of Spain 6-3 6-1 7-6.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic held his nerve and ensured he did not become the first Australian Open men's champion since 1996 to get knocked out in the first round with a 6-2 6-3 7-5 victory over a spirited Andrea Stoppini.

Djokovic romped away with the first set, but had to battle back from early deficits in the final two sets as the Italian attempted to become the first player to beat the champion in the first round since Carlos Moya beat Boris Becker 13 years ago.

Djokovic raced away with the first set before the 220th-ranked Stoppini, who had to qualify for the main draw and was making his Grand Slam debut, jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second.

The 21-year-old Djokovic then reeled off the next five games to take the second set, though his momentum was halted when he was broken in the first game of the third set and Stoppini raced away to a 4-0 lead.

Undaunted, the world number three fought back again and recovered to 4-3 before the Italian held serve to move within one game of taking the contest to a fourth set.

Stoppini was unable to close out the set, however, and Djokovic rattled off the next four games to seal victory in 115 minutes and set up a second-round clash with France's Jeremy Chardy, who beat Daniel Marcos of Brazil 6-4 6-4 6-1.

Seventh seed Andy Roddick wasted little time advancing to the second round with a 6-0 6-2 6-2 demolition of Sweden's Bjorn Rehnquist.

Roddick continued to display the form that took him to the final of the Doha tournament in Qatar earlier this month, breaking the 31-year-old qualifier at will and using his booming service game to smash nine aces and claim victory in 105 minutes.

Rehnquist, who was cheered loudly by a small group of boisterous Swedish fans, saved the first match point with a smash, but Roddick was not to be denied on the next point when his opponent hit a backhand into the net.

The 26-year-old Roddick, who made just 10 unforced errors to Rehnquist's 37, will meet Belgian Xavier Malisse who demolished France's Michael Llodra 7-6 6-1 6-1

Local spirits were lifted by Bernard Tomic who made a spectacular Grand Slam entrance, becoming the youngest male in professional tennis to win a match at the Open.

The Gold Coast teenager sent local fans into a frenzy by mashing Potito Starace 7-6 1-6 7-6 7-6.

At 16 years and 89 days old, Tomic is 94 days younger than fellow Australian Todd Woodbridge was when he beat American John Letts in the opening round at Melbourne Park in 1988.

Tomic, playing in sunglasses and wearing a headband, demonstrated composure beyond his years with his win over Starace, ranked 73rd.

He won the opening set in a tie-breaker then kept his cool after losing the second to win another two tie-breakers, saving two set points in the fourth to seal victory.

Tomic also has the advantage of a second-round match against Luxembourg's Gilles Muller, who was on court for nearly four-and-a-half hours in his five-set win against Spanish 27th seed Feliciano Lopez.

2005 champion Marat Safin destroyed Ivan Navarro of Spain 6-3 6-3 6-4.

The 2005 champion and 26th seed completed the demolition in one hour and 45 minutes to set up a meeting with another Spaniard, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

But 11th seed David Ferrer struggled through in five sets against Germany journeyman Denis Gremelmayr.

Argentinian hotshot Juan Martin Del Potro also made it through along with 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis and rising Croatian star Marin Cilic.

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AFP / Reuters