MELBOURNE, Australia (AP):

Andy Murray's first win at Rod Laver Arena lasted only 45 minutes. Lucky him.

With the temperature topping 104 degrees in Melbourne yesterday, Serena Williams wanted her first-round match at the Australian Open to be over just as quickly.

The second-seeded Williams, who has an alternate year pattern of titles here since 2003, had a 6-3, 6-2 win over China's Yuan Meng in 75 minutes in the following match on centre court.

"Ooh! It's a little hot out here," Williams said. "It was definitely extreme conditions."

Murray only needed to play 12 games to advance - Andrei Pavel retired with a back problem down 6-2, 3-1. When they walked off, the temperature was hovering at 99. In addition to the heat, the early afternoon sun was nearly blinding at one end of the court.

Williams let several service tosses drop during one game before shortening her motion, costing her some speed.

When a passing cloud brought brief relief, a fan shouted, "Close the roof!".

A swirling, gusty wind added unpredictability and a flurry of moths annoyed the players and sent staffers scurrying to sweep them off the court during changeovers.

Williams, who won the first of her nine majors in Melbourne, attributed her success here to the timing of the event.

"Maybe a new year, wanting to start out the year well," she said. "Also, it seems to not matter in what condition I come in here; I'm able to at least play a solid game."

Photographers at courtside draped their heads, bodies and cameras in wet towels. Spectators fanned themselves with paper and official programmes.

Wimbledon champion

Oracene Price, mother and coach of Serena and Venus Williams, sat in the bleachers under an oversize straw hat. She had another first-round match to watch later yesterday.

The temperature dropped to 79 degrees by the time sixth-seeded Venus beat Germany's Angelique Kerber on the second showcourt. Venus, the reigning Wimbledon champion, rallied from 3-1 down in the second set to win five straight games and the match.

Venus, in a bright yellow dress, rushed to a 5-0 lead in the first set. But Kerber's go-for-broke style started working. She broke Williams, then fended off three set points, before Williams finished off the set with her fifth ace.

Kerber broke again to pull ahead 3-1. It was the last game she won as Williams started catching the lines again.

Rafael Nadal, who replaced Federer atop the rankings, routed Belgium's Christophe Rochus 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 in a night match and about the same time, Number 9 James Blake beat Canada's Frank Dancevic 6-4, 6-3, 7-5.

Number 13 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile ended local hope Lleyton Hewitt's 13th Australian Open in the first round. Gonzalez, seeded 13th and runner-up here to Roger Federer in 2007, won 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Hewitt, a former United States Open and Wimbledon champion, lost the final at his home in 2005 to Marat Safin.

Number 9 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland went down to Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko 7-6 (7), 4-6, 6-1. She was the highest of the seeded players to fall so far.