MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)—Defending champion Rafael Nadal has beaten Australian Peter Luczak 7-6 (0), 6-1, 6-4 in a first-round match at the Australian Open.
Second-seeded Nadal, who claimed his first Grand Slam singles title on hard courts when he beat Roger Federer in last year's final at Melbourne Park, was back in Rod Laver Arena on Monday facing a pro-Luczak hometown crowd.
The Spanish left-hander didn't find his rhythm until the latter part of the first set, dominating the tiebreaker and much of the remainder of the match.
Top-seeded Federer plays his first-round match Tuesday against Igor Andreev of Russia.