MELBOURNE, Australia — Rafael Nadal’s quest to complete his “Rafa Slam” at the Australian Open started with a first-round victory that lasted only 11 games (47 minutes) and helped him conserve plenty of energy.
The No. 1-ranked Nadal went straight to the practice courts and worked on his serve, later saying it needs work to improve his chances of winning the Australian title.
The 24-year-old Spaniard led 6-0, 5-0 when Marcos Daniel retired with a left knee injury today.
Andy Murray, the 2010 finalist, advanced when Karol Beck retired with a shoulder injury in the third set of their first-round match.
The fifth-seeded Murray, who was leading 6-3, 6-1, 4-2 when Beck quit, was the only man to beat Nadal in a Grand Slam tournament last year.
Australian wild-card entry Bernard Tomic advanced to the second round with a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (5) win over Jeremy Chardy of France. He is a potential third-round opponent for Nadal.
Hoping a third time will be luckier, Vera Zvonareva began her bid to reach a third consecutive Grand Slam final with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 win over Sybille Bammer in the opening match today on Rod Laver Arena.
“It’s tough to play your best tennis in the first match. The most important thing is I’ve done what I needed to do and moved through to the next one,” Zvonareva said.
Fourth-seeded Venus Williams advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Sara Errani of Italy.
Kim Clijsters, growing as a favorite to win the Australian title, faced a difficult first-round match against former No. 1-ranked Dinara Safina.
Nadal’s easy run to the second round came the day after his chief rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic got their campaigns started with straight-sets wins Monday.
Defending champion Federer dismantled Lukas Lacko 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. The 16-time Grand Slam champion is aiming to become only the second man to win the Australian Open five times; Roy Emerson won six.
Eighth-seeded American Andy Roddick had a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win over Jan Hajek of the Czech Republic.
