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World number two Roger Federer started his bid for a fifth Australian Open title on Monday, seeing off Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun 6-4 6-2 7-5 in a rusty display at Rod Laver Arena.
There were plenty of trademark Federer shots on court, but the 17-time grand slam champion struggled to find his range consistently, with a number of unforced errors throughout.
Federer, who will player Simone Bolelli in the second round, tallied up a staggering 37 unforced errors and three double faults in 112 minutes on court.
In comparison, Lu – ranked 46th in the world – only had 22 unforced errors in a determined performance.
Unlike his preparation for the 2014 tournament, which consisted of a racquet change, back issues and the introduction of Stefan Edberg as coach, Federer made his way to Melbourne Park a lot calmer and relaxed.
He also arrived in Melbourne having won the Brisbane International, but the 33-year-old veteran was lacklustre early against Lu.
Federer made a couple of uncharacteristic unforced errors in the opening exchanges as Lu managed to hold serve during the opening three games.
The Swiss maestro, though, finally broke for a 3-2 lead after Lu gifted three break-point opportunities with a double fault.
And Federer never looked back, serving out the set to love with a trademark backhand down the line – his 20th winner of the opener.
It was a similar story in the second set, despite continued resilience from Lu, who dropped his serve in the fifth game.
Federer earned another break of serve in the seventh game as he claimed a commanding two-set lead, despite tallying up another 10 unforced errors in the second.
Neither player dropped serve during the opening 10 games of the third set.
With a tie-break approaching, Federer finally broke the deadlock in the 11th, storming into the net to earn three break points, though he only needed one after Lu sent a shot beyond the baseline.
And Federer wasted little time wrapping up the first-round clash with a clinical service game, much to the delight of the Melbourne crowd.