Venus all smiles, blues deepen for Rusedski

The ankle injury that threatened to force second seed Kim Clijsters out of the opening Grand Slam of the year came through the test with flying colours in the night session. All she had to overcome was a little rustiness to advance 6-3, 6-2 over Marlene Weingaertner.

“I didn’t really have any problems with the ankle and that’s the most important thing,” she said. “For a couple of days I didn’t even think I was going to be coming here as a player. So I am very pleased with the way I went out there.”

British No.2 Rusedski had hoped to let his tennis finally do the talking after his positive test for the banned steroid nandrolone hogged all the headlines in the past two weeks. However, a lacklustre performance against 26th seed Albert Costa saw him eliminated 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

He insisted his off-court troubles had not affected him. “No, it had nothing to do with today. I’ve just got to wait and see how my tribunal goes, just go from there.”

Wimbledon champion Roger Federer put his shaky early-season form behind him with a tidy performance against up-and-coming American Alex Bogomolov. The Swiss second seed had looked far from convincing during the Kooyong International last week, losing to Andre Agassi and struggling against Thomas Johansson. On Tuesday everything clicked as he romped home 6-3, 6-4, 6-0.

World No.5 Guillermo Coria slipped up 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 to Frenchman Cyril Saulnier. The Argentine had pulled out of last week’s Auckland Open with an abdominal strain.

Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt suffered no problems, though, strolling into round two when a freak injury forced Cecil Mamiit to pull out. Australian Hewitt was leading 6-2, 6-4 when Mamiit ran into the umpire’s chair chasing a drop shot and hurt his right ankle. He lasted only one more game before calling it quits.

Third seed and French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero did not hang about, pounding fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 for a resounding victory.

He was followed through by British 11th seed Tim Henman who ousted France’s Jean-Rene Lisnard 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.