Hewitt advances in Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Third-seeded home country favorite Lleyton Hewitt advanced Tuesday out of the first round at the Australian Open by beating Robin Vik of the Czech Republic.

It took five sets and nearly four hours, but Hewitt, the runner-up last year in Melbourne, rallied for a 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 triumph. It marked Hewitt's eighth consecutive five-set victory, while Vik was playing in the first such match of his career.

World No. 1 Roger Federer easily reached the second round, as the Swiss star needed just 83 minutes to dispose of qualifier Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in second-day action, ending with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory.

Also Tuesday, fifth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko upended Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.