(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-01-14 16:08

MELBOURNE - Nerves, ring-rust and a battling baseliner haunted three of the world's leading women at the Australian Open on Monday before Serena Williams, Justine Henin and Jelena Jankovic moved into round two.

Jelena Jankovic of Serbia drops to the ground as she celebrates victory over Austrian opponent Tamira Paszek, at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. Jankovic won 2-6, 6-2, 12-10. [Agencies]

The scorelines for Henin and Williams were emphatic - their performances less so - but third-seeded Serb Jankovic survived an almighty ordeal before seeing off battling Austrian teenager Tamira Paszek.

Three match points came and went for the 17-year-old Paszek, who served for victory five times in a third set which included 15 breaks of serve.

Experience told ultimately, however, with Jankovic winning 2-6 6-2 12-10 in three hours 10 minutes.

"I was down 4-1 (in the final set) and she was serving for the match so many times," an exhausted but exhilarated Jankovic told the crowd. "I just tried to break her somehow and I did it."

Serena needed just an hour to dispatch Australian wildcard Jarmila Gajdosova 6-3 6-3 but her performance was patchy.

"I think everyone could probably tell I was a little scratchy," the defending champion smiled.

"But it's the first round. Just moving forward. I think I was a wee bit nervous out there. But it's good to be back.

"I like to play in the heat. I do well in the heat. I like the crowd."

The three-times champion's victory set up a second-round match with Yuan Meng of China.

Top seed Henin also made a winning return to Melbourne Park but she did not have it all her own way against Japan's Aiko Nakamura.

The world number one missed last year's Australian Open as she was going through a divorce but it was business as usual on the opening day of the 2008 event as she won 6-2 6-2.

Henin failed with almost half her first serves, hit 26 unforced errors and will want to tighten her game up against Russia's Olga Poutchkova or Australian wildcard Monique Adamczak in the second round.

Fifth seed Maria Sharapova takes on Jelena Kostanic Tosic later on day one and in the men's draw world number two Rafael Nadal faces Serb Viktor Troicki and Andy Roddick plays Lukas Dlouhy.

Champion, top seed and world number one Roger Federer opens his campaign on Tuesday with a night match against Argentina's Diego Hartfield.