Fernando González debuts with a powerful win in Australia

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SANTIAGO.- Fernando González (no. 7) debut at the Australian Open (the year's first Grand Slam tournament) was clear, dynamic and impressive.

Chile's number one tennis player managed to defeat Greek player Konstantinos Economidis (no. 142) in 1 hour and 51 minutes, with a score of 6-4, 7-6 and 6-1.

The style in which González ended up taking the match was even more impressive than the score itself--trampling his rival with a backcourt approach, creating high hopes again this year for a successful tournament performance.

Last year, he made it to the finals before ultimately losing to Swiss player Roger Federer (no. 1).

González will continue the tournament in Australia next Thursday against Korean player Hyung-Taik Lee (no. 47), a player that the Chilean ha already defeated on two previous occasions.