Former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez started the New Year with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Australian Sylvia Plischke on the opening day of the Australian women's hardcourt championship in Surfers Paradise yesterday. The Spaniard, who is using the tournament as part of her build-up for this month's Australian Open after sliding to 15 in the world rankings, overwhelmed her opponent to post a confidence-boosting win.

With the tournament's top seeds, Julie Halard-Decugis of France and Russia's Anna Kournikova, not scheduled to play their first-round matches until today, Germany's Barbara Rittner sprang an early surprise by beating 10th seed Magui Serna of Spain 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.