Federer, Roddick advance; Fish ousts Ljubicic in Melbourne

Tennis Betting Lines

01/15/2007 - Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning champion Roger Federer and former world No. 1 Andy Roddick were a pair of first-round winners, while fourth-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic was sent packing Monday by American Mardy Fish at the Australian Open.

The top-seeded/world No. 1 Federer won his 30th straight tennis match by handling German Bjorn Phau 7-5, 6-0, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena.

Federer owns nine career Grand Slam titles, including a pair here in Melbourne. He beat Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in last year's Aussie finale and also ran the table here in 2004. The super Swiss is the reigning Aussie Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open champ. He reached all four Grand Slam finals last year, with his only loss coming at the hands of Spaniard Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.

Federer's second-round opponent on Wednesday will be veteran Swede Jonas Bjorkman, who won only four games in a straight-set drubbing at the hands of Federer in last year's Wimbledon semifinals.

Meanwhile, Fish sank Ljubicic in 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-4 fashion at Melbourne Park. Ljubicic, a quarterfinalist here a year ago, has suffered first- or second-round losses in six of his eight career trips to Melbourne. He's bowed out in the opening round on four occasions.

The sixth-seeded Roddick snuck past little-known French wild card Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7 (18-20), 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-3. Tsonga was actually serving for a two-sets-to-love lead in the bout before the powerful American turned things around.

The former U.S. Open champion Roddick was last year's U.S. Open runner-up to the great Federer, who lost to Roddick in last week's final at a pre-Aussie Open exhibition tournament at Kooyong.

Up next for the big-serving Roddick will be Frenchman Marc Gicquel.

Seventh-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo moved on by dousing his countryman Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-4, 6-4, 6-0, while ninth-seeded Croat Mario Ancic eased past Japan's Go Soeda 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

An 11th-seeded Baghdatis held off 2003 Aussie Open runner-up Rainer Schuettler of Germany 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Day 1. The excitable Baghdatis could meet Federer in the quarterfinals here.

In other action involving top-20 seeds, No. 14 Serbian Novak Djokovic embarrassed Chilean Nicolas Massu 6-1, 6-1, 6-0; No. 16 Spaniard David Ferrer, fresh off his title in Auckland, handled Dane Kristian Pless 7-5, 6-4, 6-3; No. 18 Frenchman Richard Gasquet grounded Italian Filippo Volandri 6-4, 6-4, 6-2; and No. 20 Czech Radek Stepanek, who recently got engaged to former world No. 1 women's star Martina Hingis, stifled France's Michael Llodra 6-2, 6-4, 6-0.

Former world No. 1s Juan Carlos Ferrero and Marat Safin also moved on, as the 24th-seeded Ferrero was leading Jan Hajek 3-0 when the Czech retired from their bout, while a 26th-seeded Safin needed a five-set come-from-behind victory to sneak past German Benjamin Becker 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The two-time major titlist Safin captured the Aussie Open in 2005 and was the runner-up here in 2002 and 2004. He's seeking his fourth trip to the final here in six years.

Other seeded Day-1 winners were No. 22 Slovak Dominik Hrbaty and No. 25 Russian Mikhail Youzhny. More upsets came when American Sam Querrey knocked out 27th-seeded Argentine Jose Acasuso 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 and American Zack Fleishman dismissed 30th-seeded Argentine Agustin Calleri 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Additional wins came for the aforementioned Bjorkman and Gicquel, Frenchman Gael Monfils, Americans Vincent Spadea and Amer Delic and 2002 Melbourne champion Thomas Johansson, who snuck past Swiss Marco Chiudinelli 6-4, 3-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.

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