Feliciano Lopez got his Australian Open campaign off to a fine start with a straight-sets victory over compatriot Arnau Brugues-Davi.
The Spaniard made the fourth round in Melbourne last year and clinched the opening set with a late break by six games to three.
American university graduate Brugnes-Davi struggled to respond in the second and quickly fell two sets behind to an opponent with proven Grand Slam pedigree.
Lopez met more stubborn resistance in the third, but with the set heading towards a tie-break the 31-year-old forced a break to take the match 6-3 6-2 6-4.
Radek Stepanek or Viktor Troicki await in the second round, with the eventual winner facing a daunting clash with defending champion Novak Djokovic in round three.
