Ferrer brushes aside Gonzalez

Third seed David Ferrer is through to the second round of the Australian Open after a tough three-set win over Alejandro Gonzalez. The Spaniard looked set for an easy victory when he raced through the first five games, but was made to fight hard by the grand slam debutant before sealing the 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory in just over two hours. Ferrer lost just seven points en route to a 5-0 lead in the first set before Gonzalez finally found his range. He still lost the set but showed he could match it with the world number three from the back of the court and he recovered from going down an early break in the second to win four straight games and lead 4-2. But the Colombian was unable to make the most of his advantage as Ferrer won four games in a row to take the second set. Both players struggled to hold serve in the third set with five breaks in seven games before Ferrer was finally able to buck the trend and seal victory. He will play Adrian Mannarino in the second round after the Frenchman ousted American wildcard Steve Johnson 3-6 6-3 6-0 5-7 6-4.