Lleyton Hewitt has said that he is happy to have won on a "big occasion" at the Australian Open.
The 2005 finalist beat Zhang Ze in four sets in front of his home crowd on the Rod Laver Arena earlier this morning.
Speaking on court at the end of the match, the former world number one said: "The first match of the Australian Open is always tough. It's a big occasion and in the end I'm happy with the win.
"It's starting to be like the good old days [for Australian tennis]! It's fantastic. We need to keep helping [the younger players] make the transition."
Hewitt will face Germany's Benjamin Becker in the second round.
