Champion Stanislas Wawrinka eases into third round

Home crowd favourite Lleyton Hewitt failed to make it through, however, blowing a great chance as he led two sets to love before falling to Germany's Benjamin Becker 2-6 1-6 6-3 6-4 6-2.

The 29-year-old Wawrinka will be pleased to have avoided that fate, especially given that he appeared to have some trouble with his right elbow throughout the match as he iced it during the changeovers and only recorded two aces. Wawrinka took two hours, 16 minutes to beat the 24-year-old 7-6(4) 7-6(4) 6-3.

Copil, the lowest ranked player in the second round at 194 and playing in the main draw of a grand slam for the first time, got the Margaret Court crowd behind him by fighting for every point and not allowing the Swiss to run away with the game.

Wawrinka, who sealed the win when a backhand drive produced a forehand error from Copil, will now play Finland's Jarkko Nieminen in the third round.

"I don't compare last year to this year," the 29-year-old Swiss told reporters after he produced a workmanlike performance to overcome Romanian qualifier Marius Copil 7-6(4) 7-6(4) 6-3 in the second round on Thursday.

"When you start the tournament you focus on the new... on this tournament this year. Again, all my focus is on what I'm doing and that's it.

"It's been two matches now... (and) to win two first matches in three sets, it's great. (But) nothing compared to last year."

Wawrinka was rarely troubled by Copil, the lowest ranked player in the second round at 194, but he was made to work hard and the Swiss was pleased to have wrapped it up in straight sets.

"It was quite tough match," Wawrinka added. "Conditions weren't easy. Quite hot. Really fast on the court. And he was playing great. He was serving big, putting lots of pressure.

"(I) wasn't playing my best tennis, but I'm happy the way I fight today and... happy to get through, especially in three sets."

The fact Wawrinka, who meets Finland's Jarkko Niemenen in the third round, was able to shake off the Copil victory almost immediately seemed to fit well with his overall philosophy.

"Good things happen, bad things happen. You just have to go about your normal routine, practice and then perform in matches," he said.

"It's too late to change something. I'm practicing well, feeling well the ball. (And) I have one day off tomorrow where I can practice like I always do with my coach.

"If you want to get far in the tournament, it can be two long weeks (and) you need to be ready to have some ups and downs. So far it's been good tennis. I'm happy."

2013 Wimbledon semi-finalist Jerzy Janowicz of Poland earned a major scalp as he beat 17th seed Gael Monfils. The Frenchman tried in vain to win his second five-set thriller of the tournament, but it was the Pole who came through 6-4 1-6 6-7(3) 6-3 6-3.

U.S. Open finalist and fifth seed Kei Nishikori was forced to dig himself out of a small hole when he lost the first set to Ivan Dodig, but once he got warmed up, and the temperatures continued to rise past 32 Celsius, the Croatian wilted.

Dodig, who withdrew with injury from all three of his grand slam appearances last year, had seized the early advantage against the world number five, but the Japanese broke in the final game of the second set and the momentum shifted.

"I thought he was playing really well, especially first couple sets," Nishikori said.

"He was really aggressive, returning well ... but (by the) end of the third and fourth set I was start playing more aggressive and better tennis."

12th seed Feliciano Lopez was lucky to come through against France's Adrian Mannarino, with the Spaniard losing the first two sets before Mannarino was hit by injury, and eventually forced to retire with the score at 4-6 4-6 7-6(3) 4-0.

Benjamin Becker (Germany) beat Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 2-6 1-6 6-3 6-4 6-2

31-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) beat Go Soeda (Japan) 6-3 6-2 7-6(3)

Jerzy Janowicz (Poland) beat 17-Gael Monfils (France) 6-4 1-6 6-7(3) 6-3 6-3

9-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) 5-7 6-3 6-4 6-2

18-Gilles Simon (France) beat Marcel Granollers (Spain) 7-6(5) 6-2 6-4

Gilles Muller (Luxembourg) beat 13-Roberto Bautista (Spain) 7-6(5) 1-6 7-5 6-1

Vasek Pospisil (Canada) beat Paolo Lorenzi (Italy) 6-7(3) 7-6(4) 6-3 6-4

1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Andrey Kuznetsov (Russia) 6-0 6-1 6-4

4-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Marius Copil (Romania) 7-6(4) 7-6(4) 6-3

5-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beat Ivan Dodig (Croatia) 4-6 7-5 6-2 7-6(0)

12-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) beat Adrian Mannarino (France) 4-6 4-6 7-6(3) 4-0 (Mannarino retired)

19-John Isner (U.S.) beat Andreas Haider-Maurer (Austria) 6-4 7-6(4) 4-6 6-4

Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) beat Matthias Bachinger (Germany) 7-6(4) 7-5 7-5

Steve Johnson (U.S.) beat 30-Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) 6-3 6-4 6-2

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) beat Alejandro Gonzalez (Colombia) 6-1 6-3 6-3