Brisbane QLD, Australia, 1 January 2014 | brisbaneinternational.com.au

Sam Groth has followed countryman Lleyton Hewitt into the second round with a hard-fought 7-6(3) 7-6(2) victory over qualifier Ryan Harrison.

Boom-server Groth hammered down 22 aces and won 90 per cent of first serves, offering his opponent just one break point in the 94-minute match.

“I felt like I served really well,” said Groth. “I felt that my serve was on and I was hitting my spots.”

“First match of the year and I’ve put a good off-season in and it’s a good reward.”

By the end of the match Groth had racked up an imposing 44 winners to Harrison’s modest tally of 13.

“I like to play an aggressive game style and get after the ball a little bit,” explained Groth whose willingness to back himself throughout the match – and especially during both tiebreaks – and attack proved to be the difference.

He will next face fourth seed Kevin Anderson in a match that’s shaping up as a battle of the big-servers.

“I’m excited, the guy’s [ranked] 20 in the world. I feel like I played well today, he’s coming in off an off-season and I’ve got a match under my belt now and I’ll definitely give it my best shot.”