MELBOURNE, Aus. - A place in the lineup to the drink fountain was as good as any court-side seat as Melbourne wilted in the heat that reached around 110 degrees. While crowds streamed into Melbourne Park, it was the shade that was more eagerly sought out than the tennis with the crowd of people flocking to the arenas with the most shade. This meant that Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena and Margaret Court Arena were both the hottest tickets in town (figuratively) and the coolest (literally).

On a day like the one Melbourne served up, 10th-ranked Dane Caroline Wozniacki wasted little time on the court in her first-round rout of Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino on Hisense Arena. With her engagement to superstar golfer Rory McIlroy fresh in everyone’s minds, crowds flocked to see how the Dane started her first grand slam with the extra weight on her finger. Despite the one-sided result, Wozniacki appeared at times uncomfortable on court, seemingly struggling with her footwork and her timing throughout the match. She might have lost focus near the start of the second set and tried to rush shots, racking up 11 unforced errors in the space of four games. The score line was perhaps so one-sided because of Dominguez Lino’s 30 unforced errors, which stopped the game short of turning into a real contest.

At her post-match media conference, Wozniacki spoke about her attempting to keep her focus in the 100-degree weather. “I think always a match will go up and down, but for me it was important for me to just close it out as quick as possible,” she reflected. “Going down a break in the second set, I wasn't too pleased with myself.  I was just [tried to] keep the focus.  Try and just take one ball at a time and try and attack a little bit more.”

With the match seemingly in the bag for the 23-year-old, it wasn’t until the last four or five games until she appeared as if she was hitting the ball the way she wanted. And, although Wozniacki won the first set 6-0, she alluded to the fact she may have not been comfortable with her game in the first set before resorting back to her comfort zone in the second.

“You always want to try and improve and put new things into your game,” said the newly engaged Dane. “It's always easy to do it in practice because if you miss a shot, it's okay.  It doesn't matter.   But in a match, sometimes it can be important points.  You often tend to go back to what you're comfortable with.  You just need to push your limits, and if you do that it will pay off.”

Without playing her best tennis, Wozniacki was ultimately pleased with her result and the way that she played considering the extreme heat.  “I put the bottle down on the court and it started melting a little bit underneath, so you knew it was warm,” she said with amusement.  “But it was warm for both of us, and it was great that I managed to finish it off in two sets, and it wasn't too long.”  

On Rod Laver Arena after Wozniacki’s win, Roger Federer was tested in a closer-than-it-looked encounter with Aussie home hero James Duckworth. In the first time on Rod Laver Arena after his exhibition win over Jo Wilfried-Tsonga, Federer will be pleased with his 6-4 6-4 6-2 win over Duckworth. He didn’t have it all his own way, however, as the Aussie came out firing in the knowledge that he would have to take huge risks to have any chance of causing an upset. He certainly held his own against the Swiss sixth seed as he hit a well-rounded 34 winners to Federer’s 30. Unfortunately for Duckworth, however, sixth seeds do not need to be invited to take opportunities, and Roger capitalized on many of Duckworth’s 38 unforced errors, breaking him when it mattered and eventually steamrolling him in the third set.

Although he was unsuccessful in toppling the great Swiss maestro, the game plan that Duckworth used is one that has been implemented by many of Federer’s higher-ranking opponents.  If done well, it has been seen as a way of defeating Federer. That game plan targets Federer’s high backhand, his stretched forehand, and his movement, which is evidently not as good as it was in 2012.  When asked about the game plan implemented by Duckworth, Federer acknowledged that it can work but requires consistency from his opponent in sustaining that kind of attack. 

“That’s a decision he made,” said Federer. “It worked out pretty well.  It's about being able to do it every single game or as much as you can, and be consistent there.  For me, clearly I have worked on my weaknesses and also improving my strength.  At the end of the day, that's where I get my free points, and how I win points usually is my strength.”

Both Federer and Wozniacki will be relatively content with their performances, but they both looked fairly patchy at times against opponents who didn’t particularly challenge their game. They will both know that much more difficult opponents await further into the draw and that they’ll most likely have to cope with similar conditions to what they experienced today.

Considering this, the quality of their tennis is not to be undermined on a day where the tennis well and truly took a backseat to the searing Melbourne heat. In the second round, Croatia’s Blaz Kavcic awaits Federer, while Wozniacki will play Christina Hale.