American Jonathan Stark sent third-seeded Andrei Medvedev out in the first round of the $328,000 Australian Hardcourt tennis championship.

Stark, 25, of Seattle, winner of the Singapore Open in October, crushed Medvedev 6-1, 6-1 in the second major upset of the tournament.

Former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich, eliminated at the Qatar Open by Spaniard Sergi Bruguera, described the defeat as the worst match he had played in a decade. Bruguera, trying to rebuild his career after suffering a number of injury setbacks, beat the fourth-seeded Stich 6-3, 6-1 in just 49 minutes at the $635,000 tournament.