Adelaide, Australia  - Mis-firing Mark Philippoussis has apologized for a miserabke performance at the World Tennis Challenge, as the two-time Grand Slam finalist made a timid return to the game.

The 32-year-old was competing for the first time in more than a year since re-injuring his right knee and undergoing another operation. Australia with Philippoussis and Pat Cash lost to the US side with Jim Courier and Taylor Dent.

Sydney - Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic began redeeming himself after a first-round loss last week, rolling Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-1, 6-2 in the second round of the Medibank International on Wednesday.

That kind of winning scenario was duplicated when third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, last year's losing finalist to Djokovic at Melbourne Park, stormed out of the blocks to hammer Italy's Simone Bolelli 6-4, 6-1.

With the Australian Open starting on Monday, both men need to get it right if they want to try and repeat their 2008 successes.

Melbourne - Roger Federer stepped up his preparation for the Australian Open as he claimed his eighth career victory over Carlos Moya 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday's opening day at the AAMI Classic.

Joining Federer as a winner at the promotion-relegation event was Olympic doubles partner Stan Wawrinka, with the number 16 hammering off-form Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 6-2.

Fernando Verdasco of Spain beat Croatian Marin Cilic 6-2, 7-5 while Chile's Fernando Gonzalez showed the bebefits of two and a half months off in a defeat of Croatian Ivan Ljubicic 6-4, 6-3.

Melbourne - Roger Federer stepped up his preparation for the Australian Open as he claimed his eighth career victory over Carlos Moya 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday's opening day at the AAMI Classic.

Joining Federer as a winner at the promotion-relegation event was Olympic doubles partner Stan Wawrinka, with the number 16 hammering off-form Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 6-2.

Melbourne  - Mark Philippoussis will play it safe in his first serious match in two years as the injury-prone former player competes in this week's exhibition in Adelaide.

After multiple knee surgeries the 32-year-old Philippoussis is unsure about any tennis future.

"I have no expectations," the two-time Grand Slam finalist told local media. "I don't need to prove anything to anyone or even to myself, it's just about me loving the game and getting back out and playing the game.

"There's no way I'm looking too far ahead."

Sydney - Women's seeds stormed through into the quarter-finals as Lleyton Hewitt made a typical fighting debut on Tuesday at the Medibank International.

The four-time champion, who is playing only his second event since hip surgery in August, had to spend two hours in baking summer heat to overcome Julien Benneteau 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.

The unseeded Australian, trying to lift a ranking which has fallen to 71st, fell behind 1-4 in the first set, which Benneteau won. But Hewitt scrambled back into contention to earn the hard-fought win, through 13 winners and seven aces.