Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray all spent mercifully little time on court but Lleyton Hewitt bowed out in a five-set thriller. Victoria Azarenka began her title defence in stuttering fashion and Maria Sharapova was also made to fight, in contrast to Caroline Wozniacki who sizzled in the Melbourne heat.

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Top seed Rafael Nadal eased through to the second round of the Australian Open after local hope Bernard Tomic retired with an injury after the first set. The Spaniard won the opening set 6-4 before the Australian called it quits with a thigh injury. (All AP and AFP images)

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Roger Federer kept his cool on a scorching second day at the Australian Open, starting his record 57th consecutive Grand Slam tournament with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory in his first match with Stefan Edberg as a coach.

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Three-time runner-up Andy Murray swept into the second round with an easy straight sets win over Japan's Go Soeda. The British fourth seed won 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in one hour 27 minutes.

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Japan's Kei Nishikori duelled with Marinko Matosevic over five gruelling sets in baking heat before advancing at the Australian Open. The 16th seed was on court for three hours 41 minutes before subduing the Australian 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to reach the second round.

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India's top-ranked singles player Somdev Devvarman lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (2-7) in the first round of the Australian Open to Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. The world number 97's loss ended India's singles campaign on the second day of the year's first Grand Slam in Melbourne.

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Italy's Andreas Seppi endured a more than four-hour epic in sizzling heat before finally overcoming a stubborn Lleyton Hewitt (in pic) and a partisan Australian Open crowd

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The five-set thriller was played in heat that touched 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) with 24th seed Seppi (in pic) emerging a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 7-5 winner in a draining four hours and 18 minutes.

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Title-holder Victoria Azarenka moved into the second round but she made a meal of the match and looked far from her best in blazing conditions. The second seed overcame Johanna Larsson 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 but her game was riddled with unforced errors and poor serving.

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World number two Victoria Azarenka says her boyfriend singer Redfoo wants a wildcard for the US Open and has been taking tips from Novak Djokovic. The American singer, dancer and rapper, best known for his electropop band LMFAO, routinely watches Azarenka from the stands and was cheering her on again Tuesday as she began her Australian Open title defence.

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Fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, who has made the quarter-finals here for the past three years, needed three sets to stay alive.

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Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki sizzled in the Melbourne heat as she dispatched Spain's Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-0, 6-2.

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Third seed Maria Sharapova clawed her way into the second round with a straight-sets win over Bethanie Mattek-Sands as she seeks her first Grand Slam title since the 2012 French Open.

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Back to Australian Open 2014 photos

Australian Open 2014 Photos

Australian Open, Day 2: Big guns overcome heat to advance