Rusty Murray through in Adelaide

Murray starts the year ranked No 64

Andy Murray survived a scare in his first match of 2006 before reaching the Adelaide International second round.

The 18-year-old Scot lost the first set to Italian qualifier Paolo Lorenzi but hit back to win 3-6 6-0 6-2.

He will next face Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych, who beat Argentine Agustin Calleri, with Lleyton Hewitt a potential opponent in the next round.

Top seed Hewitt struggled past unseeded Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic 4-6 6-2 6-4.

Second seed Dominik Hrbaty saw off Rameez Junaid 6-3 7-5, while former Wimbledon and US Open finalist Mark Philippoussis also made a winning return to action.

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The Australian, down to number 172 in the world after injury and bad form, beat American Vince Spadea 6-4 3-6 6-4.

"It's good to get out on court and get that monkey that turned into a gorilla off my shoulders," he said afterwards.

"I've been working hard in Miami to build up to this summer. I know I still have my best tennis yet to play."

Philippoussis was granted a wildcard entry to the tournament, but Murray's rapid rise means he no longer requires them, and will go straight into the draw for the Australian Open later this month.

If I do well then I think that I can reach the top 20 by year's end Andy Murray

Murray has made reaching the top 20 his goal for 2006, and he begins the year ranked 64th by the ATP.

"I worked very, very hard in South Africa and for three weeks before that, and now I feel that when I walk on court I will know that I really couldn't have done much more to prepare," Murray said.

"It has been great, as it has been the first time that I have had the chance to have a solid training block like that. But I know that people will probably still question my fitness.

"I don't have any ranking points to defend for the first few weeks of the year so if I do well then I think that I can reach the top 20 by year's end.

"This year the goal is to win the big matches because if I'm going to get into the top 20 then I have to do well at the grand slams and the Masters Series tournaments."

Elsewhere, number five seed James Blake beat Spaniard Alberto Martin 6-3 6-3, but eighth-seeded Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela was upset 6-3 3-6 6-1 by Croat Ivo Karlovic.