Venus, Lleyton scrape through

Venus Williams sported a new look on Tuesday but it couldn't disguise a rusty game as she struggled to join the other top seeds in the second round of the Australian Open.

Dressed in a black skirt, a low-cut blue and black two-piece top and a choker round the neck, the world number three was in danger of spilling out of the tournament and her new outfit.

She spent almost as much time rearranging her clothes as she did playing shots, allowing qualifier Jose Maria Martinez of Spain to run rings around her in the second set.

Williams, who hadn't played a singles game since October, recovered to take the match 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 in just under one-and-a-half hours.

"I didn't get caught by surprise because I've played enough before to know when you play your opponents, if they lose the first set, they'll be coming back in the second," she said.

"She mostly played very well. I just think I hit a few mistakes at the wrong times in the second set.

"I didn't feel like I was playing my top form throughout the match but it's a good thing to have a little test in the first round."

Sister Serena, the sixth seed, had no such trouble, ousting Taiwan's Janet Lee 6-1, 6-4.

She said she was "mentally more sound" than last year and "getting my rythym back".

Martina Hingis was even more impressive, taking just 38 minutes to dismiss Katalin Marosi-Aracama of Hungary 6-1, 6-1.

"I think I had the right preparation to go into this tournament," said the top seed who teamed up with Roger Federer to win the Hopman Cup then went on to win last week's Sydney International tournament.

Venus wasn't the only top name to struggle.

Gustavo Kuerten, the number one seed despite never going beyond the second round here, made a meal of beating Argentinian Gaston Gaudio 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 7-5.

And number seven seed Lleyton Hewitt had to draw on all his resolve to overcome a hamstring strain and beat gritty Swede Jonas Bjorkman in five sets.

"I came out and gave it everything I had," said the 19-year-old after winning 7-5, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. "I hung in there and thank God it was enough."

Hewitt can expect another tough match in the second round against Germany's Tommy Haas.

While no seeds fell by the wayside, born-again Christian Michael Chang was beaten 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 by France's Fabrice Santoro.

Chang, a French Open champion in 1989 at the age of 17, has now failed to get beyond the third round at any Grand Slam tournament since 1997.

Like Serena, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, last year's runner-up, found the going easier, setting up a tough second round clash with Nicolas Kiefer after demolishing another German, Jens Knippschild, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.

The Russian said he thrives on playing in Australia.

He won here in 1999 but had the title taken from him last year by Andre Agassi. He also beat Tommy Haas for the gold medal at last September's Sydney Olympics.

"I do like playing on this (hardcourt) surface. I feel confident every time I play in Australia," he said.

Another man to make the final here, Carlos Moya, continued his comeback from a lower back stress fracture suffered at the 1999 US Open with a straight sets victory over former world number one Marcelo Rios.

Neither are seeded but the Spaniard voiced confidence that he could relive the glory days.

"I know it is just one match but playing the way I did and against Rios -- I beat him just once in my life -- gives me a lot of confidence," he said.

Also safely through are Swedish fourth seed Magnus Norman, Frenchmen Sebastien Grosjean (16) and Arnaud Clement (15), and South African Wayne Ferreira.

Among the women, Ferreira's compatriot and fellow 10th seed Amanda Coetzer hammered Canada's Sonya Jeyaseelan for a second round contest with in-form Silvija Talaja of Croatia.

The 1995 champion Mary Pierce said she had another Australian Open crown in her sights -- but admitted she would need to put her contact lenses in to achieve it.

The number seven seed has been suffering eye problems and should have worn her lenses in her 6-1, 6-3 victory over Austria's Sylvia Plischke.

"Today would have been a good day to have my contacts in," said the French Open champion.