Lleyton Hewitt kicked off preparations for the US Open in style with a straight sets victory over Juan Carlos Ferrero in the opening round of the Montreal Masters.

The Australian triumphed 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 in the battle between the two former world No.1s to set up a second round meeting with either ninth seed James Blake or Austrian Jurgen Melzer.

The match was Hewitt's first of the North American hardcourt season, and first since his fourth round exit at Wimbledon more than a month ago, with the world No.21 looking refreshed in knocking over the 17th-ranked Spaniard in just under two hours.

Both players traded early break of serves in the opening set, before Hewitt finally grabbed the upper hand by surging ahead 6-3 in the tiebreak.

He took it 7-5, and then capitalised further by breaking Ferrero in the opening game of the second set.

Ferrero didn't give up without a fight, but Hewitt was able to maintain his advantage to serve out the set and match 6-4 to secure passage to the second round.

The result gave Hewitt a winning start under the tutelage of Tony Roche, although the master coach - who is at home in Sydney for the birth of his daughter's third child - not expected to join his charge until just before the start of the US Open.

Hewitt is using the Montreal tournament, and next week's Masters event in Cincinnati to warm up for the final grand slam of the year, which starts August 27.

Hewitt, the 2002 US Open champion, will be hoping to join joining all-time greats Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl as the only the third player in open-era history to reach the US Open quarter-finals eight years in a row.

In other results early on the second day of the Montreal Masters, 10th seed Tomas Berdych became the first seed to tumble when he lost 6-4 7-5 to 20-year-old Dutchman Robin Haase.

Haase, whose ranking has soared from 669 at the start of last year to its current mark of 103, will now play either former world number one Carlos Moya of Spain or Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.

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