Nadal makes dominant start to ‘Rafa slam’ quest
… Kim Clijsters hammers Safina 6-0, 6-0
(REUTERS) – Rafa Nadal opened his hotly anticipated Australian Open campaign with a ruthless dispatch of an ailing Brazilian journeyman yesterday, setting the tone for a day of pitifully one-sided contests at Melbourne Park.
Kim Clijsters, a favourite for the women’s title, doled out the most humiliating punishment, beating fellow former number one Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-0 — the dreaded double bagel — on Rod Laver Arena.
A second Australian Open title would make Nadal the first man in more than four decades to hold the quartet of grand slam titles at the same time, and his first step was taken with single-minded purpose.
Brazilian Marcos Daniel mustered up just 12 points in 46 minutes before he decided his injured left knee, and possibly his pride, could take no more and he called an end to the contest with Nadal leading 6-0, 5-0.
The world number one knows very well the pain of injury having hobbled out of Melbourne Park in the quarter-finals when his own knees gave up on him last year, and he was full of sympathy for his 32-year-old opponent.
“He tried his best during the match,” said the Spanish top seed. “He didn’t want to retire. That says a lot for him. Not everybody’s able to do this. So all the respect to him.”
The short contest left Nadal, who was struggling with flu in the run-up to the tournament, with little better idea of the level of his game.
“It’s difficult to say I played really well or I played bad,” he added. “I think I played right. I played some good shots, some long shots. The serve can be a little bit better. Yeah, that’s the only point that I think I can improve.”
U.S. Open champion Clijsters needed just 44 minutes to reach the second round, bustling around the court to clinically pick apart the hapless Russian.
“I do feel bad,” Clijsters told reporters. “I even caught myself at 5-0 in the second set, she hit a couple of backhands down the line, I was like ‘Yeah, that’s it!'”
Safina, who according to the WTA became the first former women’s number one to lose 6-0, 6-0 at a grand slam since the rankings system began in 1975, was nonplussed by her form.
“I didn’t know how to win a point,” she said. “There was nothing I could do to hurt her. I’m scratching my head thinking ‘what the hell I am doing?’.”
It took David Nalbandian 244 minutes longer than Clijsters to reach the second round, the Argentine outlasting her former boyfriend Lleyton Hewitt 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 9-7 in a four-hour 48-minute battle of attrition that finished at 01.07 h local time.

FREAK INCIDENT
Like Nadal, Andy Murray’s passage was eased by a retirement when Slovakia’s Karol Beck quit with the fifth seed 6-3, 6-1, 4-2 up, but the Briton’s day was overshadowed by a freak incident involving his doubles playing brother Jamie.
“He hit a baby sparrow when he was practising his serve,” Murray, the losing finalist here last year, said. “I think he killed it. My mum told me about it when I woke up this morning.
“I hope he didn’t do it on purpose. I haven’t seen him yet today. It was a pretty traumatic start to the day …”
Robin Soderling, who leapfrogged Murray into the fourth seed position courtesy of his title win in the Brisbane warm-up, cruised through his first round encounter with Potito Starace 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
“I’m not fearing anyone, but at the same time I fear all,” said the Swede, who has never been past the second round at Melbourne Park.
“I know that when I play well, I can beat everyone. But the same time, I really have to play well because last year… I didn’t play well at all and I lost first round.”
Vera Zvonareva, the number two women’s seed, rattled off a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Austria’s Sybille Bammer in the opening match on a cool and blustery Rod Laver Arena.
In the absence of injured 2010 champion Serena Williams, Australian hopes are high that Sam Stosur can break a three-decade drought without a local champion.
The fifth seed could not have done much better yesterday than her 6-1, 6-1 drubbing of American wildcard and grand slam debutante Lauren Davis in another mismatch on centre court.
“I think at the end of the day you’ve got to just take it for what it was,” said a matter-of-fact Stosur. “I can walk off the court saying I hit the ball well, felt good, and moved well. That’s the day it was.”