"After a first round scare, where he was pushed to four sets and aided by a nervy Igor Andreev, it seemed that Roger Federer had yet to reach anywhere near his best at Australian Open 2010. That all changed on Thursday night, as the Swiss maestro’s game clicked in easing past an unfortunate Victor Hanescu on Rod Laver Arena.

Federer was at his sublime best during the 6-2 6-3 6-2 win, displaying a full array of strokes to dismantle a potentially dangerous opponent. The Romanian was hardly disgraced, conceding only eight more unforced errors than Federer. It was just one of those nights for the No.1 seed, who effortlessly conjured 52 winners seemingly at will.

Hanescu battled gamely, trying a number of tactics to counter the genius of Federer, but each time it seemed the champion found a new method of compounding the Romanian’s misery. An inch-perfect backhand lob evaded the 198cm giant, not the easiest of tasks. Later, a cheeky crosscourt flick to beat Hanescu at the net drew a smile from Federer, who knew that even for him, things couldn’t get much better. Sadly for his opponent, they did."