Australian Open Djokovic N. vs Lacko L.

Djokovic N. vs Lacko L. 6-3 7-6 6-1

That third set took just over 20 minutes. What can we glean from that performance then? Probably not too much. Set One: Lacko did well to break but threw away the advantage in the very next game and Djokovic never looked back. Set Two: Djokovic toyed with his opponent on Lacko's serve, while breezing through his own service games. Set Three: Lacko had nothing left to give after the second set tie-break. Job done for the Serbian, who now faces Argentine Leonardo Mayer in the second round.

Andy Murray can challenge at the Australian Open - John McEnroe

Andy Murray can challenge at the Australian Open

Andy Murray can be competitive immediately at next month's Australian Open if he has fully recovered from back surgery, says John McEnroe.

The Briton had surgery in September and has not played competitively since.
"If he's healthy, he is going to be one of the guys who can go the distance [in Australia]," said seven-time Grand Slam champion McEnroe.
But Tim Henman said Murray must "remain patient" and not rush his comeback if he wants to be a force in 2014.

The first Grand Slam of 2014 starts in Australia on 13 January.

Murray's lingering back problem forced him to miss the French Open in May, but he recovered to become the first Briton to win the Wimbledon men's singles title since Fred Perry in 1936.
In September, his defence of his US Open title ended in the quarter-finals, but he went on to enjoy success with his GB Davis Cup team-mates, who secured their place in the 2014 World Group.
Murray, 26, then underwent surgery and missed the recent ATP World Tour Finals in London as he recovered.
McEnroe believes the break from the sport could have helped Murray, just like it did Rafael Nadal, who took seven months out before returning in February to win 10 titles, including two Grand Slams.
"It's going to be unpredictable when you haven't hasn't played," added McEnroe, who is playing in the Masters at the Royal Albert Hall this week. "But you could make the argument that it could help him.

"I think mentally, he was a little whipped at the [US] Open, he needed to regroup - it had been an incredible but crazy 12 months for him.

"Now he's had a chance to hopefully get things right with his back. And if that's not right, it's going to be tough.
"Maybe he's going to have to think longer term, but hopefully he'll come out firing the way Nadal did."
Former British number one Henman believes Murray, who returned to practice after his operation late last month, must make a full recovery after surgery his priority.
"I think it's most important for him to remain patient," he said. "To have any sort of surgery is invasive and there are always a few unknowns.
"He's got to make sure that when he does come back, he's 100% fit and healthy and ready to compete to try and win the biggest and best tournaments because that's what his level is and that's what his career is about.
"From what I hear in Miami, with the training he's been doing, things have been progressing well.
"He's still got another three or four weeks of practice. Fingers crossed he'll be ready to compete in Australia."
But Henman believes it may not be so bad if he missed the Australian Open, as Nadal did this year before going on his impressive run which saw him end the season as world number one.
"It's important to reflect on what Nadal did," said Henman. "He had seven months out, which is a lot longer than Andy, and he didn't have surgery.
"He decided he wasn't ready for Australia, he didn't play. He took that bit of extra time and you could see the benefits of that at the end of this year."

Australian Open 2014: Wawrinka and Li ease into round two

Wawrinka and Li

Stanislas Wawrinka became the first man to reach the second round of the 2014 Australian Open as opponent Andrey Golubev retired through injury.

The eighth-seeded Swiss was leading 6-4 6-1 when his opponent from Kazakhstan withdrew with a leg injury.
Third seed David Ferrer beat Alejandro Gonzalez 6-3 6-4 6-4.
Women's fourth seed Li Na overcame 16-year-old Ana Konjuh 6-2 6-0, while Ekaterina Makarova saw off former finalist Venus Williams 2-6 6-4 6-4.

Australian Open 2014 Laura Robson & Heather Watson beaten

Laura Robson & Heather Watson

Laura Robson and Heather Watson were beaten as British interest in the women's singles ended swiftly at the Australian Open.

Both players took on higher-ranked opposition in the first round, but the manner of their defeats differed sharply.
Robson spent just 50 minutes on court in a 6-3 6-0 thrashing by 18th seed Kirsten Flipkens - the Briton's first full match of the season following a wrist injury.

Watson, in contrast, kept 31st seed Daniela Hantuchova occupied for two hours and 34 minutes before going down 7-5 3-6 6-3 to the Slovakian.

With both Robson and Watson scheduled among the opening matches, it took less than three hours for Andy Murray to be left as the lone Briton in singles competition.
Robson, who turns 20 next week, arrived in Melbourne with a wrist injury but said before the match that it was no longer causing her any pain.
A lack of match sharpness was certainly clear from the outset on Court Three, as she opened with four straight errors to drop serve and lost the first nine points in a row.
There was a big cheer for the Australian-born Robson when she finally got on the board but Flipkens, a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, was much the stronger.
Robson simply could not find her range and racked up 32 errors to her opponent's four as she lost eight straight games and became the first player to go out of the tournament.
"It was up and down the whole time, and I don't think I ever really got into a rhythm at all," said Robson.
"I wasn't really able to deal with her slice that well. It just didn't go well. I definitely expected to play better, but it happens.
"And I didn't really have any expectations going in because I didn't know what it was going to be like out there."
While Robson trooped unhappily back to the locker room, Watson was only just getting going on the nearby Court Two against Hantuchova.

Auckland Isner J. vs Lu Y-H.

Isner J. vs Lu Y-H. 7-6 7-6

Full name John Robert Isner...Began playing tennis at age nine...Father, Robert, is a builder; mother Karen, is a real estate agent...Has two older brothers, Jordan, who is a teaching tennis pro and Nathan, who is a builder and works with his father (all three attended North Carolina State Univ.)...Played four years and earned All-American honors each season at Univ. of Georgia from 2004-07 and school's all-time leader in singles and doubles wins...In May 2007, reached NCAA singles final, losing to Virginia's Somdev Devvarman in a third set tie-break but led his squad to NCAA team title...Also won NCAA doubles title.
Hobbies include playing poker, golf, basketball and watching ESPN...Played basketball until ninth grade and was 6'3" (1.90m) before growing five inches at around age 16... His favorite TV show is "Curb Your Enthusiasm"...Says if he wasn't a tennis player he would probably be a basketball player...Idol was former NBA star Karl Malone...Wears a size 15 shoe...Considers hard courts as favorite surface and his forehand and serve as strengths...Fitness trainer is Kyle Morgan...Chiropractor is Clint Cordial.

Auckland Lu Y-H. vs Ferrer D.

Lu Y-H. vs Ferrer D. 6-4 7-6

Auckland Isner J. vs Bautista R.

Isner J. vs Bautista R. 3-6 7-6 6-4