Sydney: Marcos Baghdatis shook off jet-lag to roll through his opening match at the Sydney International with a straight-sets win over Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis here today (Jan 8, 20070.

The 11th-ranked Cypriot, who captivated world tennis with his thrilling charge to last year's Australian Open final, found his range after a first-set tiebreaker to down the world No.141 Gulbis, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1.

The fun-loving Baghdatis, seeded four in the Sydney tournament after arriving on Saturday from Doha, admitted he had to struggle to get himself to play, but was happy to have made it through to a second-round match with Czech qualifier Jan Hernych.

Hernych set up his encounter with Baghdatis with a 6-4,6-2 win over Italian Andreas Seppi.

More is expected of Baghdatis at next week's Australian Open after he swept from 56 at the start of the year to No.12 in the end-of-2006 rankings.

"Whenever I see the Rebound Ace and the colour of the courts I just want to play," Baghdatis said of next week's opening Grand Slam tournament.

"I don''''t know why, it just gives me the motivation to play, the sound and all the things down there," he said.

Baghdatis said he was better equipped this year for the challenges he faces defending his runner-up points from last year''s final against Roger Federer.

"I''''m more experienced, tougher mentally and fitter," he said.

Baghdatis suffered a tightened hip-groin after the first-set tiebreaker, but played on.

"After we (trainer) massaged it, it was getting better, but I still have a bit of pain," he said.

"It''s just a contracture, but with treatment it will go away it's nothing much of a concern for the Australian Open," he said.

Fifth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych overcame Australian qualifier Robert Smeets 6-2,7-5,but eighth-seeded Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean, a French, Australian and Wimbledon semi-finalist, fell 6-4,6-4 to Spain''''s Fernando Verdasco.

 merican Robby Ginepri beat German Florian Mayer 6-3,6-2. He will face the winner of the match between Korean Hyung-taik Lee and seventh Russian seed Dmitry Tursunov, scheduled for later Monday.

Top-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal, expected to arrive here from India later Monday, is scheduled to play big-serving Australian Chris Guccione in his first round match on Tuesday.

Guccione won five matches before he went down to Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Hardcourt in Adelaide on Sunday.