Federer challenges Murray to five-setter 'any day'

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Roger Federer said on Sunday that he would take on super-fit Briton Andy Murray "any day" over five sets after surviving a marathon match in the Australian Open fourth round.

The Swiss insisted he felt fresh as a daisy after his three-and-a-half-hour work-out against Tomas Berdych and could easily go the distance with Murray despite their six-year age gap.

"I don't know how fit Murray is. I'll take him on any day in a five-setter," Federer said.

"He's younger so he's probably not so experienced. In the end it becomes very mental, and I know that this is where my biggest strength always comes into play. That's why I'm always going to favour myself in a fifth set."

Federer, 27, who has lost his last four matches against Murray, has fought a low-key war of words with the Scot since arriving here.

The 13-time Grand Slam champion pointedly questioned Murray's status as bookies' favourite at the start of the tournament, prompting the Briton to point out "contradictions" in Federer's comments.

The two remain on course to meet in next Sunday's final in a rematch of the US Open title match, where Federer recorded his last win over the 21-year-old Scot.

Fourth seed Murray is seeking his maiden Grand Slam win here and Britain's first since 1936.

Dokic progresses in Australian Open

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Australian wildcard Jelena Dokic kept her remarkable story going when she upset Russia's Alisa Kleybanova 7-5, 5-7, 8-6 to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Sunday.

Dokic will now play Dinara Safina after defeating the world number 31 in a three hour epic.

After entering the tournament ranked 187th in the world, Dokic finds herself playing the world number three for a place in the final four of the year's first Grand Slan.

It is a story that almost defies belief.

After bursting onto the scene in the late 1990s, Dokic stunned the tennis world when as a 15-year-old she beat then number one Martina Hingis in the first round of Wimbledon in 1999.

The following year she reached the semi-finals at the All England Club and by 2002 was the world number four with five WTA titles to her name.

But under the influence of now estranged father Damir, she fell out with Australian tennis officials and returned to her native Serbia, her tennis career suffering badly as a result.

By 2004 she was all but out of the game until she began her comeback late last year.

Dokic will finish the Australian Open inside the top 100, well on the way to her year-end goal of being ranked inside the top 50.

"I may have to change my goals now," she admitted after defeating her third seeded player in a row.

She ousted Anna Chakvetadze (seeded 17) in the second round and Caroline Wozniacki (11) in the third before accounting for Kleybanova (29).

But she had a big fright on the way when she fell heavily after twisting her ankle when returning a serve while leading 6-5 in the third set.

She got up and brushed aside the trainer's offer to strap her ankle at the next change of ends, came back on and held serve then broke Kleybanova to seal victory in three hours.

"My foot really got stuck," she said.

"But I kind of just think I lost one point after that, so maybe it was a little bit distracting to her as well.

"It was a little bit painful, but I looked at it and it wasn't swollen -- sometimes when it's a really bad strain it gets swollen straightaway.

"I thought I would try to play a point or two, and if it's not great I'll call a trainer straightaway."

Dokic said the strain of playing so many long matches was catching up with her.

"I was really physically exhausted tonight but I kept on fighting and the crowd got right behind me in the third set," she said.

"Every single match I've played has been three sets. I really had to come through in all of them."

Kleybanova, playing her first match on a major centre court, could have been forgiven for being slightly overawed by the occasion, but she was the steadier of the two players in the beginning.

Both players looked nervous throughout and holding serve was a continuous battle.

There were five breaks of serve in each of the first two sets, although both players steadied in the third, which then developed into a battle of nerves.

Kleybanova broke early in the third but Dokic struck back to level at 3-3, then games went with serve until Dokic made the vital breakthrough.

"It was hard to stay positive when I lost the second set and and went down a break in the third, but I just kept on fighting and it paid off," she said.

Australian Open - Magnificent Murray mauls Melzer

Andy Murray removed any doubts he was not a serious contender for the Australian Open title with a clinical 7-5 6-0 6-3 third-round demolition of Austria's Juergen Melzer.

The fourth-seed showed all of the composure, shot making and court coverage that has propelled him into the world's top four and made him one of the pre-tournament favourites.

"I thought I hit the ball really, really well," Murray said. "I took a lot of my chances. I made him do a lot of running and was very confident from the second set onwards."

The 21-year-old has already beaten Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on hardcourts in the past month and his confidence was no more evident when he sealed the second set with a nonchalant volley into the open court and continued walking to his chair.

Murray, who was taken to five sets by Melzer at the US Open last year, gave the Austrian no chance to repeat the experience with clever use of angles, audacious chips and drop shots and varying the pace of his returns.

"I just felt more confident going into the match," Murray said of his feeling before he went into the third round clash.

"I knew if I played well I felt like I could go on to win in three sets if I grabbed the first set.

"He's one of those guys that, when he's behind, he's dangerous because he doesn't think a whole lot.

"I think when it starts to get close against him and he starts thinking is when he starts to make more mistakes, like at the end of the first set.

"But when he gets ahead, you know, he can start serving well and he can get confident. The start was very important.

"I do think I played much better today than at the U.S. Open."

The victory secured a fourth round clash with Spain's 14th seed Fernando Verdasco, who thrashed Radek Stepanek 6-4 6-0 6-0.

"I haven't really seen a whole lot of his match," Murray said of the Spanish left hander.

"I think Stepanek, I don't know if he had something wrong with him or not, but he didn't look like he was particularly interested.

"Against Verdasco, I really have to use my head.

"I have a very good record against left handers. The only one I've lost to on the tour has been Nadal.

"I need to use my head, make him do a lot of thinking and moving (and) if I play like I did tonight, I can definitely win that one."

Australian Open - Fed: I'd win a Murray five-setter

Roger Federer said that he would take on super-fit Briton Andy Murray "any day" over five sets after surviving a marathon match in the Australian Open fourth round.

The Swiss insisted he felt fresh as a daisy after his three-and-a-half-hour work-out against Tomas Berdych and could easily go the distance with Murray despite their six-year age gap.

"I don't know how fit Murray is. I'll take him on any day in a five-setter," Federer said.

"He's younger so he's probably not so experienced. In the end it becomes very mental, and I know that this is where my biggest strength always comes into play.

"That's why I'm always going to favour myself in a fifth set."

Federer, 27, who has lost his last four matches against Murray, has fought a low-key war of words with the Scot since arriving here.

The 13-time Grand Slam champion pointedly questioned Murray's status as bookies' favourite at the start of the tournament, prompting the Briton to point out "contradictions" in Federer's comments.

The two remain on course to meet in next Sunday's final in a rematch of the US Open title match, where Federer recorded his last win over the 21-year-old Scot.

Fourth seed Murray is seeking his maiden Grand Slam win here and Britain's first since 1936.

American Andy Roddick, meanwhile, was full of confidence after dismissing Spain's Tommy Robrero, a player against who he has dropped just one set in 10 matches.

"I don't know that I've had a bad day against him," said the seventh seed, whose quarter-final opponent on Tuesday will be defending champion Novak Djokovic.

Roddick, who says he has trimmed down by about seven kilograms after a gruelling off-season, has made the semi-finals three times at Melbourne Park in his seven previous visits but has yet to reach the final.

"So far so good. I get to play another day," said the 26-year-old.

"I've been in the tournament for nine days now and just trying to get a step further each time.

"I'm not going to think about it in two parts. It's a whole tournament. I just want to continue to stay alive each day."

AFP

Federer, Djokovic fight back at Australian Open

MELBOURNE (AFP) - The Australian Open was blown wide open Sunday when top seed Jelena Jankovic crashed out while Roger Federer was forced to mount a memorable comeback to beat Tomas Berdych.

The Serb's crushing 6-1, 6-4 defeat to French 16th seed Marion Bartoli put her alongside Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams as high-profile early round casualties, raising further questions about her world number one status.

Federer looked like he could join Jankovic after losing the first two sets to Czech Berdych, battling back to win 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 and stay on course for a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam title.

It was the first time Federer has come from two sets down since Miami in 2005, and he sees it as a good omen.

"Tomas did so well and he pushed me to the limit," said the Swiss three-time champion.

"I enjoy those kinds of fights because they don't happen very often, especially on Rod Laver Arena. I hope it is a good omen.

"I feel in great shape, I feel like I could go another two sets."

His next opponent is Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro, who recovered from a set down to grind out a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win over fellow young gun Marin Cilic.

There was also safe passage to the quarter-finals for American Andy Roddick, who will play defending champion Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic held off 2006 runner-up Marcos Baghdatis 6-1, 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 in a match that started at 11:10 pm and finished at 2:26 am.

With Jankovic, Ivanovic and Williams now gone, the first Grand Slam of the season has become one of the most open ever with Bartoli into a quarter-final against Russia's Vera Zvonareva, who beat countrywoman Nadia Petrova 7-5, 6-4.

"It's obviously disappointing. Nobody likes to lose," said Jankovic, who looked lethargic as she tried to play her way into the match.

"It was a tough day for me. You know, I had a slow start. I let my opponent completely come on top of me and play her game."

She is now likely to lose her top ranking, but insisted it was not important.

"It doesn't matter because it's just the beginning of the year, and there is many more tournaments to play," she said.

Bartoli was ecstatic at the upset but said she always felt she could win.

"I knew I could beat Jelena on a good day, it was just a matter of executing it, playing the right shot at the right time and not making too many mistakes," said the Frenchwoman, who made the Wimbledon final in 2007.

Russian third seed Dinara Safina survived two match points to beat France's Alize Cornet 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 and will play Australian wildcard Jelena Dokic whose fairytale run continued with 7-5, 5-7, 8-6 win over Russia's Alisia Kleybanova.

Safina appeared certain to follow Jankovic out when Cornet was serving for the match at 5-4 and 40-15, but she somehow clung on and hauled herself out of trouble.

"I feel so lucky that I have the chance to play in the quarter-finals," said Safina.

"This is the first time I have won when two match points were against me. "There are no easy matches here, there are no easy Opens."

Argentina's del Potro became the youngest man in the last eight since Richard Krajicek in 1992 and has now reached two consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals after last year's US Open.

"Against Roger, he will be the favourite. I'll change nothing for the game," insisted the the 20-year-old.

Seventh-seeded Roddick was in ominous form as he downed Spanish 21st seed Tommy Robredo 7-5, 6-1, 6-3.

After battling out a tight first set, Roddick steamrolled his opponent in the second and third to send out a warning that he cannot be underestimated as he looks to add to his lone Grand Slam triumph at the US Open in 2003.

ATP Doha : Federer vs Starace Live Streaming Online

The former world number eight looked in control as he took the first set but could do nothing to stop Nieminen as the Finn took the next two sets and the match 5-7 6-1 6-4.

Baghdatis, who reached the Australian Open final in 2007, had a disrupted 2008 due to injury problems and was hoping to use the Brisbane International to launch his assault on the top 20.

But his lack of match fitness had shown against Nieminen, who at number 38 is ranked 60 places higher than the Cypriot.

"I'm not match fit and I think I need to work on that in the next 15 days before my next tournament," he said.

"But... the way I'm hitting the ball is good, tactically maybe I can work on it a bit more, but that's all."

Baghdatis said a leg problem, which surfaced at 1-5 down in the second set, was due to tiredness.

The 23-year-old, a huge crowd favourite in Australia because of its large Cypriot and Greek communities, next plays at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, an eight-man round-robin invitational event held in the week before the Australian Open.

"That's why I choose to play there, because I'm sure I'm going to play two matches there," he said.

"Even if you lose you get to play two matches, and also play two great matches because your opponents are going to be tough and that's good, like today."

Baghdatis is still setting tough goals for the Australian Open, saying he wants to at least make the second week of the year's first Grand Slam.

"It depends also on the draw and a bit of luckiness," he said.

"Last year I had a tough draw -- I hope this year I will be a bit more lucky and to see myself in the second week would be a good Australian Open."

ATP Doha : Qualifier vs Qualifier Live Streaming Online

Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt made a winning return from hip surgery on Monday but couldn't prevent Australia's narrow 2-1 defeat to Germany in the Hopman Cup mixed teams event.

Hewitt was impressive in his 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Nicolas Kiefer but the German took his revenge with a thrilling match tie-break win in the decisive mixed doubles encounter 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 10-5.

"It has been close to five months since I played a match and it has been a long time coming," said Hewitt, 27, after the singles match.

"It was a great way to start the year. He is a really tough opponent, it was a matter of me hanging in there and weathering the storm, and in the end I was able to turn the match around..

"It takes a lot of courage to come back from surgery, and lose the first set in a close tie-break and then win the second third convincingly, it is a good start."

Hewitt ended 2008 ranked 68th, the first time he had been outside the top 50 since 1998. He was playing for the first time since his operation after the Beijing Olympics in August.

The former US Open and Wimbledon champion appeared to be moving freely in his comeback match as he recovered from a set down against Kiefer, who has been ranked as high as fourth but has also had injury problems.

But the day's star turned out to be German teenager Sabine Lisicki, who came from a set down to beat hometown favourite Casey Dellacqua in the women's singles before helping Kiefer clinch the doubles.

The 19-year-old Lisicki reeled off the last three games of the singles match as Dellacqua dramatically imploded on her Hopman Cup debut, winning just one of the last 13 points after serving for the match.

"I was just fighting," Lisicki said after the 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 win.

"It was my first match of the year, and it's never easy, especially against Casey here at home.

"Sometimes I just missed some easy balls, but I am really happy with that win."

Despite the loss, Hewitt and Dellacqua looked set to clinch the Group A tie when they won the first set of the mixed doubles. But the German pair won the second set and dominated the match tie-break.

Hewitt, who has set his sights on a return to the top 10, is using the Hopman Cup as a warm-up for this month's Australian Open Grand Slam in Melbourne

ATP Doha : Nadal vs Santoro Live Streaming Online

Now playing under the name Date-Krumm, she succumbed 6-4 6-3 to American Jill Craybas in her first WTA tournament outside Japan in 13 years.

The 38-year-old Japanese player, who unexpectedly came out of retirement last year, looked dazed at the start and promptly lost the first four games against Craybas.

She fought back to trail 5-4 in the first set but paid the price for holding serve only once in the second.

"My opponent wasn't the type who tries to overpower you but she played a smart game," Date-Krumm said. "I was in shape to play but practice is different from an actual game."

Seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues, Aleksandra Wozniak, Shahar Peer and Nicole Vaidisova all enjoyed a good start to their 2009 seasons.

Third seed Medina Garrigues of Spain overcame a tricky start to overpower Italy's Mara Santangelo 7-5 6-0.

Fourth seeded Canadian Wozniak defeated Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-3 6-7 7-5, number five Peer beat Petra Cetkovska 7-6 6-2 and former Australian Open semi-finalist Vaidisova squeezed past Russia's Alla Kudryavtseva 7-6 4-6 7-5.

ATP Doha : Hernandez vs Vliegen Live Streaming Online

The top seed and former world number one got only 61 per cent of her first serves in and struggled to win any points on her second, but still managed to overcome world number 50 Kvitova in one hour and 44 minutes.

Ivanovic will now face Italian qualifier Roberta Vinci in the second round, but she will need to improve if she is to challenge for the title.

"I had to fight for each point and you know that's good, especially in the first match. You want to get into your rhythm and you want to stay tough for each point," Ivanovic said.

"She was a tough opponent for a first round -- she likes to hit the ball very flat. The end of last season was a bit of a disappointment for me so I was looking forward to a good start."

Earlier fourth seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia was an early high-profile casualty when she crashed out to Italy's Sara Errani, who recovered from losing the first set in a tiebreak to win 6-7 (1) 6-4 6-0.

The tournament also lost eighth seeded Italian Francesca Schiavone , beaten 7-5 6-2 by Olga Govortsova of Belarus, and ninth seed Ai Sugiyama, who was bundled out by local favourite Samantha Stosur 6-2 6-3.

Former world number one Amelie Mauresmo was pushed all the way by Australian wildcard Jelena Dokic before winning 7-6 (9) 7-6 (5).

Dokic was a former top five player before some well documented personal problems with her father forced her from the tour.

She is making one more bid to re-launch her career and showed enough against Mauresmo to suggest she could once again be a force in the women's game.

However, her lack of exposure at the top level showed in the crucial points, allowing Mauresmo to escape with a narrow victory.

"I'm feeling better than last year already," a relaxed Mauresmo said. "There were some good things and some things that need to be improved but it's a win, so that's perfect."

Stosur, from the nearby Gold Coast, caused a minor upset when she downed Japanese veteran Sugiyama.

The Australian had originally been drawn to play seventh seed Maria Kirilenko in the first match of the tournament, but when an ill Kirilenko withdrew on Sunday morning, Sugiyama was elevated to ninth seed and had to face Stosur.

Sugiyama, who had been due to play a qualifier in the first round, said the re-draw had upset her preparations.

"It was much tougher [facing Stosur] than a qualifier ranking-wise, but I just tried to focus on my game, but today I wasn't sharp enough," Sugiyama said.

In other matches, French qualifier Julie Coin downed Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer 7-5, 6-7 (5) 7-6 (3) and Vinci beat fellow qualifier Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany 0-6 6-3 6-1.

Melinda Czink of Hungary downed Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko 7-6 6-1, Lucie Safarova beat Australian wildcard Isabella Holland 6-4 6-3 and Tathiana Garbin of Italy defeated Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson 6-2 6-3.

ATP Doha : Kohlschreiber vs Qualifier Live Streaming Online

Third-seed Marin Cilic of Croatia entered the second round of the 450,000-dollar ATP Chennai Open with a straight-sets win over Alberto Martin of Spain on Monday.

The 20-year-old Cilic, ranked 27th in the world, began the new season on a fluent note as he cruised to a 6-4, 6-4 win in the opening match of India's biggest tennis event.

"It is nice to get the first match of the year out of the way," said Cilic, a semi-finalist here last year before losing to eventual winner Mikhail Youzhny of Russia.

"It was good to break early in both sets because he had to catch up after that, and that made it a bit easier for me.

"I am not thinking about winning the tournament yet, just concentrating on my next match. But the aim for the year is to do well in the Grand Slams."

Fifth-seeded Rainer Schuettler faced a tougher challenge from Indian wildcard Prakash Amritraj before the German won 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 in an hour and 25 minutes.

Amritraj, whose US citizenship makes him ineligible to represent India in the Davis Cup and the Olympics following a recent government directive, delighted local fans by taking the second set.

But Schuettler, ranked 33rd in the world, ran away with the third set as the 206th-ranked Amritraj struggled with his first serves in humid weather.

"I am not in a position to comment on the Indian government's decision," said Amritraj, 25, who is allowed by the International Tennis Federation to represent India on the circuit.

"I just want to focus on my game and see I do well in any match I play."

Schuettler's second-round opponent will be Simon Greul of Germany, who defeated Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-3, 6-4.

In another match, Bjorn Phau of Germany outlasted Santiago Ventura of Spain 6-2, 7-5.

The top two seeds, world number five Nikolay Davydenko of Russia and 16th-ranked Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, will play their first round matches on Tuesday.

Also in action on Tuesday will be fourth-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, Spanish veteran Carlos Moya, who won the title in 2004 and 2005, and seventh- seed Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia.

ATP Doha : Montanes vs Murray Live Streaming Online

World number 10 James Blake (pictured) and Meghann Shaughnessy had been expected to get the top-seeded Americans off to a flying start in the mixed team event.

However, Dominika Cibulkova eased past Shaughnessy 6-2 6-2, while Dominik Hrbaty tamed Blake in a 6-3 4-6 7-6 tussle. The

Slovakian duo completed a 3-0 rout with a 6-4 7-6 win over Shaughnessy and Blake in the doubles.

Germany triumphed in a deciding mixed doubles tiebreaker to defeat Australia 2-1 in the other Group A clash.

The German pair of Nicolas Kiefer and Sabine Lisicki won the deciding tiebreaker 10-5 to clinch the match 6-7 6-3 7-6 after the two singles rubbers had been split.

Lisicki gave Germany the early lead when she beat Casey Dellacqua 4-6 6-2 7-5 but Australia squared the tie when Lleyton Hewitt defeated Kiefer 6-7 6-3 6-2.

Despite the loss, Hewitt said he was encouraged by his own performance in his first match since undergoing hip surgery in August.

"I've been hanging for this match for a long time...it's a great way to start the year," he said.

"It takes a lot of courage to come back from surgery and to come back and lose the first set in a tiebreak and then win the second and third convincingly - it's a good start."

Russia and France won their Group B ties at the weekend.

The winners of each group will contest Friday's final.

ATP Doha : Tursunov vs Qualifier Live Streaming Online

Andy Roddick began his 2009 season with a comfortable win and an ambition to recapture the form which took him to victory over all three Grand Slam champions early last year.

The former world number one from the United States also spoke passionately about his desire to maintain full fitness after winning 6-1, 6-3 against Ivan Navarro, the world number 73 from Spain.

"Last year I was just going from the training table straight on to the court," Roddick said after reaching the second round of the 1,100,000-dollar Qatar Open.

"I was going to do everything to play Wimbledon and I shouldn't have and I was advised not to; I was hurt in Cincinnati and tried to play LA.

"When you do that you don't have all the options," he concluded by way of explanation of how his results fell away after beating Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in Dubai in February and Roger Federer in Miami in March.

Roddick believes his injury problems may have been related to not taking a full close season's rest and training programme at the end of 2007.

Now, however, he feels he has taken a better break and done more of the necessary work, and also has high hopes of his relationship with his new coach, Larry Stefanki, formerly with two other world number ones, John McEnroe and Marcelo Rios.

"I've had more time to prepare and it makes a huge difference," Roddick said. "I feel last season was stalled by injury and now I feel better. I thought I made a pretty solid start."

Tuesday, Federer, Nadal and Andy Murray also begin their campaigns on the ATP World Tour.

Federer, the US Open champion and the winner of 13 Grand Slam titles, faces Potito Starace, the world number 70 from Italy, while Nadal, the top-seeded Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion, meets Fabrice Santoro, the 36-year-old former titleholder from France.

Murray, the 21-year-old Briton who beat both Nadal and Federer in the exhibition event in Abu Dhabi at the weekend, begins against Albert Montanes, a top 50 Spaniard, and is seeded to reach a semi-final with Federer on Friday.

ATP Doha : Youzhny vs Andreev Live Streaming Online

Cagey veteran Dominik Hrbaty conjured an upset 3-0 win for the Slovak Republic over defending champions the United States in the mixed teams Hopman Cup here Monday.

The day after his 31st birthday, Hrbaty belied his lowly ranking to stun American James Blake, snatching an enthralling singles encounter in three sets to secure the Group A tie for the Slovaks against the top seeds.

Earlier, teenager Dominika Cibulkova had brushed aside Meghann Shaughnessy, a late inclusion for the injured Serena Williams and on the comeback trail after a major knee injury, in straight sets to give the Slovaks a 1-0 lead.

Ranked 250th in the world after elbow problems in recent years, Hrbaty took advantage of some reckless shots by the 10th-ranked Blake to snatch victory in a lopsided third set tie-break, 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7/1).

The pair, both previous Hopman Cup winners, traded powerful blows from the back of the court and produced some exhilarating rallies, but Blake was guilty of being too aggressive at times and racked up 62 unforced errors, to Hrbaty's 35.

The normally unflappable Blake grew frustrated as the match wore on, finding himself warned for an audible obscenity in the third set, and also arguing with the chair umpire over one point a short time later.

The American was also left pondering what might have been, as he had six break points in the ninth game of the third set, when a break would have had him serving for the match.

In the deciding tie-break, Hrbaty lifted his game to a new level to race to a 6-0 lead as he notched his first win in three matches against Blake.

"That is my first big win after I came back from the injury," he said.

"I played really well today and played some beautiful tennis; I am ranked 240 places below James and I beat a top 10 player and it cannot be any better.

"I get very excited when I play for my country, I think we have a good chance this week."

The 19-year-old Cibulkova had few problems with a struggling Shaughnessy, who looked very much like a player short on match practice after only playing a handful of tournaments last year, winning 6-2 6-2.

In the dead mixed doubles rubber, the Slovaks made it a clean sweep by beating the Americans in straight sets.

Earlier on Monday, former world number one Lleyton Hewitt made a winning return from hip surgery, but couldn't prevent Australia's narrow 2-1 defeat to Germany in their Group A tie.

Hewitt was impressive in his 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Nicolas Kiefer but the German took his revenge with a thrilling match tie-break win in the decisive mixed doubles encounter 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 10-5.

"It was a great way to start the year. He is a really tough opponent, it was a matter of me hanging in there and weathering the storm, and in the end I was able to turn the match around," said Hewitt, 27, after the match.

Hewitt ended 2008 ranked 68th, the first time he had been outside the top 50 since 1998, and was playing for the first time since his operation after the Beijing Olympics in August.

The former US Open and Wimbledon champion, who has set himself the goal of climbing back into the top 10, appeared to be moving freely in his comeback match as he recovered from a set down against Kiefer.

However, he was upstaged by German teenager Sabine Lisicki, who came from a set down to beat hometown favourite Casey Dellacqua in the women's singles before helping Kiefer clinch the doubles.

The 19-year-old Lisicki reeled off the last three games of the singles match as Dellacqua dramatically imploded on her Hopman Cup debut, winning just one of the last 13 points after serving for the match in front of her home crowd.

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The Swiss was ousted from the top of the rankings by Rafael Nadal last August and his aura of invincibility was broken by defeat in the Wimbledon final before he silenced his doubters with victory in the US Open - his 13th Grand Slam crown.

The 27-year-old said he was feeling much fitter at the start of this season compared to last year where he was recovering from a bout of glandular fever.

"I expect 2009 to be a good year and for various reasons I am under less pressure too," Federer said in Doha, where he opens this season's campaign at this week's Qatar Open.

"I have been dominating for several years and obviously I think I can do it again. I have a very strong technique ... I am mentally and tactically also quite strong," he added. "I have that ability to decide to how much should I attack and defend.

Hopefully I can win more titles this year.

"This time last year, I was sick. But now I am fully fit."

He said playing in last week's exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, where he lost in the semi-finals to Britain's Andy Murray, had given him the chance to try out some new tactics.

"I practised a lot recently. I tried out many new things in Abu Dhabi - in volleying, charging to the net and playing defensive. Since it was an exhibition event I could do it. But it helped me know where I stood and make those small adjustments," he said.

This month's Australian Open offers Federer his next chance to match Sampras's Grand Slam record and he is relishing the opportunity after losing in the semi-finals last year in the start of a string of setbacks he suffered in 2008.

"I have many goals for 2009. One of them is to regain my top ranking and another is to win at least one more Grand Slam," said Federer.

"Every Grand Slam I win will be more meaningful to me. When I win the first one in 2009 it could equal Pete Sampras's record. Everything is going to be special.

"I have been dominating the field for the past several years. 2008 has been a good and bad year, but that has not changed my perspective."

Federer said he faced more challengers than in recent years with world numbers three and four Novak Djokovic and Murray joining him and Nadal as the dominant forces.

"I think four of us have moved far ahead of the rest of the Top 10. The top four rankings can keep changing often, there are lot of possibilities to this in 2009," said the Swiss, who is just 20 points ahead of Djokovic in the ATP standings.

Depending on their performances this week, Djokovic could overtake Federer in the rankings but the Swiss said he was not unduly concerned.

"I'm not worried about it. Anyway it's not the number one spot," he said with a laugh.

On the court, American fourth seed Andy Roddick and fifth seeded Gael Monfils of France both reached the second round of the event in Doha with easy wins.

Roddick beat Spaniard Ivan Navarro 6-1 6-3 in a little over an hour while Monfils outplayed Czech Republic's Jan Hernych in a 6-2 6-2 victory.

"I didn't do anything stupid," said Roddick. "I was pretty happy with the way I played."

Monfils, who lost to Federer in the 2006 final in Doha, was too good for Hernych.

The Frenchman won the first set in quick time, breaking his opponent in the fourth and eighth games, and took a 5-1 lead in the second before seeing off a short-lived fightback from Hernych and clinching the win in 55 minutes.

"It was a good match to start the season," said Monfils. "If I win one more match, then I should run into Rafa (Nadal).

"I have been practising hard and did everything perfectly today."