Australia’s top-tier tennis players will hope to stem the Australian Open bleeding on Tuesday as the host nation recovers from a difficult day one.

Last year’s heroine Jelena Dokic was among a host of Aussies shown the exit door inside the opening 24 hours of the tournament at Melbourne Park – badly beaten 6-1 7-5 by Russian 26th seed Alisa Kleybanova late on Monday night.

But Australia’s top ranked male and female players Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur, as well as proven Open performers Alicia Molik and Casey Dellacqua have the chance to join teenager Bernard Tomic in the second round.

Hewitt launches his 14th Open campaign vowing to take his game “to another level” in his desperate quest to end the 34-year local title drought.

He takes on Brazilian qualifier Ricardo Hocevar, while 13th-seeded Stosur plays Chinese qualifier Xinyun Han in the women’s singles first round.

Hewitt said he is confident he can manage his body to help him rebound back into the world’s top 20.

“In terms of playing, I still know my A-game. If we’re trying to add a few little things on the side of that, that’s more to help out and maybe not be as predictable,” Hewitt said.

“But I’ve still got areas of my game I feel like I can take to another level.”

Molik, another on the women’s comeback trail, plays Frenchwoman Julie Coin while Dellacqua faces Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus.

Jarmila Groth is up against Swede Sofia Arvidsson and Carsten Ball has a tough first-round assignment against Spanish ninth seed Fernando Verdasco.

Another Australian wildcard, Marinko Matosevic, plays Swiss Marco Chiudinelli, while young Victorian Olivia Rogowska plays Romanian Sorana Cirstea after her match was one of many washed out on a rain-marred opening day.

Australian qualifier Matthew Ebden will continue his match against 12th seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils, which is locked at 2-2 in the opening set before it was delayed by rain.

Tomic was the only Australian winner on day one, beating French qualifier Guillaume Rufin 6-3 6-4 6-4.

How the Australians fared on day one of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.
Men’s singles, first round
Bernard Tomic bt Guillaume Rufin (Fra) 6-3 6-4 6-4
Jason Kubler lost to 24-Ivan Ljubicic (Cro) 6-1 6-2 6-2
Peter Luczak lost to 2-Rafael Nadal (Esp) 7-6 (7-0) 6-1 6-4
Women’s singles, first round
Anastasia Rodionova lost to 3-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) 6-1 6-2
Jelena Dokic lost to 27-Alisa Kleybanova (Rus) 6-1 7-5

© AAP 2012

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