MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Kei Nishikori became an instant celebrity in Japan when he finally broke through last year to top Shuzo Matsuoka's career-high ranking of No. 46 - the highest ever achieved by a Japanese man.
Nishikori had been nicknamed Project 45'' in honor of his quest to beat the ranking. Now that he's cracked the top 30 - he reached a high of No. 24 last year - Nishikori might soon get a new nickname back home:Project Grand Slam.''
Nishikori, seeded for the first time at a Grand Slam, beat Stephane Robert of France 6-1, 7-6 (7), 6-0 in the first round at the Australian Open, needing just 19 minutes to capture the opening set and 27 minutes to take the third.
Japanese women have appeared in the top 10, with Kimiko Date-Krumm reaching a career-high No. 4 when she made the French Open semifinals in 1995, but the country's male players haven't been as successful.
The red-and-white-clad Japanese fans packing the stands on Court 6 might not have been as boisterous as the Aussies on adjacent courts, but they showed enough enthusiasm, waving Japanese flags and holding signs saying ``Go Kei Go!''
Hisayuki Isogai said watching Nishikori play was the main reason he made the trip from Japan.
He's the first Japanese player to reach the top 30 and for a long time nobody could achieve that,'' Isogai said.Tennis is a big sport in Japan since he's appeared.''
Now, there are expectations he can best another Matsuoka mark - the best result for a Japanese man at a Grand Slam. Matsuoka reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 1995; Nishikori's best result is the fourth round of the U.S. Open in 2008.
Does he feel any added pressure in Melbourne?
Never. Never feel the pressure. Maybe, you know, my ranking is 25 or 26. That gives me a little bit of pressure because I feel like I have to win with these guys,'' he said.I have to play with lower-ranked guys now.''
BAGELS ON COURT 21: Philipp Petzschner coasted to one of the easiest wins of his career on Tuesday - and still ended up disappointed after just missing out on a landmark scoreline.
Leading 6-0, 6-0, 4-0 against Lukas Rosol, the German player was two games from the first 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 win (a ``triple bagel'') at the Australian Open since the professional era began in 1968.
I wanted to win badly (with a) triple bagel,'' Petzschner said.Maybe it's a lifetime opportunity.''
Petzschner should know. His coach, Stefan Eriksson, failed to win a single game against Stefan Edberg in the first round at Wimbledon in 1987, one of only five such scorelines in Grand Slams in the Open era.
In the end, Petzschner had to settle for a 6-0, 6-0, 6-2 victory, putting him into the second round at Melbourne Park for the first time in his career.
For Petzschner, it was a ``a really nice day of tennis.'' Rosol couldn't think of a worse one.
I couldn't stop it. There was nothing I could do,'' said the 26-year-old Czech, who won six points in the second set.I don't know what happened. It was so fast and I couldn't stop it.''
Rosol's Australian Open debut ended after 1 hour, 25 minutes on Court 21, watched by about 50 sympathetic spectators.
Asked what words were exchanged at the net, Petzschner replied: ``He said 'well played,' and I said 'Yeah. I know.'''
THE OLD MAGIC: Milos Raonic came out of nowhere as a 152nd-ranked qualifier last year to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open, upsetting No. 10 Mikhail Youzhny along the way.
His promising year was derailed, however, after an awkward fall in a second-round match at Wimbledon forced the big-serving Canadian to undergo hip surgery, keeping him off the tour for several months.
Healthy again, Raonic is hoping to rediscover the same magic at this year's Australian Open - and hopefully go even further in the draw. He easily dispatched Italian Filippo Volandri 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 in the first round Tuesday.
If I look result-wise, obviously I want to go into the second week and I think even further than that, but it just depends on a few things,'' he said.If I'm really doing my thing, I feel I'm going to give myself a lot of opportunities against everybody.''
Raonic has some momentum coming into the tournament, too. He captured his second career title at a warm-up event in Chennai, India, earlier this month, defeating top-10 players Nicolas Almagro and Janko Tipsarevic.
Raonic, seeded 23rd, has a tough draw in Melbourne, though. He plays Petzschner in the next round, could meet Andy Roddick in the third round and No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the fourth.
AP Sports Writer Caroline Cheese contributed to this report.