Four things we learned at Day 1 of the Australian Open

Here are four noteworthy results and story lines from the first day of the 2015 Australian Open, from Rafael Nadal's outstanding performance to Ana Ivanovic's upset loss.

1. Dimitrov finishes step one of a rough road

by Chris Huffines

Grigor Dimitrov (Getty)

Result: Grigor Dimitrov [10] d. Dustin Brown (6-2, 6-3, 6-2)

Dustin Brown’s unconventional style of play typically disrupts his opponent’s game. Dimitrov wasn’t going to have any type of disruption in his first-round matchup with Brown. Using his smooth backhand and swift movement around the court, Dimitrov moved on with relative ease. But don’t just chalk that up to his stellar play of late. He knows what he’s doing now. After a taste of the semifinals at Wimbledon 2014, he understands the level of competition that awaits on down the road.

Dimitrov’s road to the 2015 Australian Open would potentially have to go through Andy Murray in the Round of 16, Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, Rafael Nadal in the semifinals and Novak Djokovic in the championship. All of his matches leading up to that path need to be won with little room for error or trouble. Court mileage and mental fatigue need to be minimized before reaching the potentially treacherous road that lies ahead. His handling of his first round matchup with Brown was step one in the process of reaching that end-game.

2. Two top-10 women go down

by Chris Huffines

Ana Ivanovic (Getty)

Result: Lucie Hradecka d. Ana Ivanovic [5] (1-6, 6-3, 6-2)

Day 1 of the Australian Open is that fresh start that all players look forward to reaching, especially those who failed to enjoy much success during the previous year. For those whose career seemed to have reached new heights in 2014, there is still the elite level of talent that remains at the top of the rankings and will be there at the end of a major final. Therefore, it is tempting to overlook the early-round matchups, and in turn, the least little bit of problems in those matchups can easily become big catastrophes.

Fifth seeded Ana Ivanovic and ninth-seeded Angelique Kerber failed to capitalize on their fresh start. Ivanovic’s early emotional frustrations trickled over quickly into her play. When she is playing well, she is calm and collected; she wasn't against Hradecka. And now, she has a long time to work on managing her mental approach to those early- round matches before the French Open comes around.

Kerber, meanwhile, could not overcome Irina-Camelia Begu’s aggressive play in the third set.

Who benefits from these shocking upsets? Simona Halep’s road to the quarterfinals just got a lot easier after Ivanovic’s exit, coupled with Sabine Lisicki’s surprising first-round loss. Ditto Eugenie Bouchard’s path to the Round of 16, after the dismissals of Kerber and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

3. Nadal's first-round performance was an exclamation point

by Chris Huffines

Rafael Nadal (Getty)

Result: Rafael Nadal [3] d. Mikhail Youzhny (6-3, 6-2, 6-2)

Nadal's play in the first round changed that ending punctuation. This shouldn’t surprise us, as he has returned from previous injuries in emphatic fashion and without the slightest sense of needing a few matches to adjust to the speed of the competition. And honestly, that’s because it’s rare to find others who can reach his pace. Still, he had not looked particularly strong in recent tune-up events.

Mikhail Youzhny isn’t a pushover. Nadal made him look like one with his snapshot line drives down the baseline. He moved around the court like the Nadal we all know. The men’s field should be on high alert. Unless an injury setback occurs, Nadal might be in full form.

4. Too bright, Sabine

Sabine Lisicki (Getty)

by Bill Connelly

Result: Kristina Mladenovic d. Sabine Lisicki [28] (4-6, 6-4, 6-2)

My shoes damn near glow in the dark. I love bright clothing as much as anybody. But perhaps Lisicki's kit was playing tricks on her peripheral vision.

Okay, perhaps not. But Lisicki faded pretty dramatically against Mladenovic, finishing with 39 unforced errors, doing less damage than normal with her first serve and bowing out in the first round. Lisicki has reached at least the quarterfinals in each of the last five Wimbledon draws she has entered. She has won 23 slam matches at the All England Club. She has also won 23 matches combined at each of the other three slams. Since reaching the fourth round in Melbourne in 2012, she's won one match in three years there.

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