Sydney, Australia – Radek Stepanek was an easy first-round winner, while Jeremy Chardy was an early upset Tuesday at the Sydney International tennis event, a final Australian Open tune-up.
The sixth-seeded Czech Stepanek overcame three double faults by converting on all four of his break chances against Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez to earn a 6-2, 6-3 decision at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre.
Feliciano Lopez of Spain, meanwhile, hammered 22 aces against France's Chardy, the tournament's seventh seed, during a marathon 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 6-3 victory in just over two hours.
Other first-round matches saw John Millman of Australia ease past Spain's Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-4, Jarkko Nieminen of Finland defeat Germany's Bjorn Phau 6-0, 6-1, Italian Fabio Fognini top Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-1, and Bernard Tomic of Australia defeat compatriot Marinko Matosevic 6-3, 6-4.
South Africa's Kevin Anderson also advanced to the second round by outlasting Aljaz Bedene of Slovakia 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 after American Ryan Harrison moved on when Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut retired in the first set while trailing 2-1 with lower abdominal pain.
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