MELBOURNE, Australia -- A year ago, Andre Agassi's marriage was ending and his tennis had slipped enough to "look horrific."

Now he has regained a favorite feeling: "Making it a miserable day for your opponent."

Agassi showed off his complete game in a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Mariano Puerta in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday.

Pete Sampras also was having trouble a year ago, with fatigue, and skipped the Australian Open.

This year, he started with a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Australian Wayne Arthurs in his campaign to regain the No. 1 ranking he lost last year to Agassi. A back injury just before the U.S. Open set him back, but he arrived in Melbourne saying he felt fresher than ever for the year's first Grand Slam tournament.

Puerta at times managed to engage the top-seeded Agassi in slugging duels. But Agassi often caught him flatfooted with blasts down the line, high-kicking serves and top-spin lobs from both sides when the Argentine player thought he had his opponent on the run.

Unlike some baseliners, Agassi hasn't complained about the faster courts here this year that are expected to favor big-serving players like Pete Sampras, Mark Philippoussis and Richard Krajicek.

With new companion Steffi Graf watching in the main stadium, Agassi handled some sizzling shots with few mistakes.

Last year's Australian Open "was a difficult time," Agassi said.

His marriage to actress Brooke Shields was breaking up, and with his tennis even a little bit off, "it's possible to look horrific out there."

He lost to Vincent Spadea in the fourth round, but then won the French and U.S. Opens, was runner-up at Wimbledon, and completed a return to No. 1 from a rank as low as 141st in 1997.

"No matter what I accomplish this year, I don't think emotionally or personally it could ever feel as fulfilling as last year," Agassi said.

"I am not sure if I believed in my game quite as much as I do now, and my fitness," he added. "Now I am out on the court feeling like I am going to make somebody beat me from start to finish, and that's always a good feeling when you are out there focused on making it a miserable day for your opponent."

Sampras said the Australian Open hard courts, made faster this year with new surface paint, made the game like playing on grass and would be tough on baseliners.

But he added that Agassi, hitting the ball flat and early, "will be fine."

"It will be good for his game," Sampras said. "It will help his serve, and he returns so well, he's really tough to beat."

Sampras hit 10 aces to 15 by Arthurs, but gave him only two break points -- none converted -- while cashing in on three of his own six break chances.

Also Monday, No. 8 Todd Martin served 39 aces but had to rebound from two sets down to beat Zimbabwe's Byron Black 5-7, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2, 8-6 in four hours.

No. 9 Krajicek served 21 aces in beating France's Fabrice Santoro 6-1, 6-2, 7-5.

No. 11 Tim Henman served 30 aces and edged France's Jerome Golmard 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7).

No. 16 Philippoussis, however, served just 10 and needed five sets to beat Israeli qualifier Noam Okun 6-4, 6-2, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2. In the last set, he cut his unforced errors to 6 from 18 in the third and 24 in the fourth.

Philippoussis said he had recovered from the stiff neck that caused him to withdraw from the final of the Colonial Classic against Agassi last week, but felt weak and lethargic.

"I don't know how I got out of it," he said of Monday's match. "I'm sure I'll recover fine."

Early casualties included two-time champion Jim Courier and No. 14 Karol Kucera, a quarterfinalist here last year and semifinalist in 1998.

Courier fell 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 to Frenchman Nicolas Escude. Kucera lost 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to Paradorn Srichaphan, a 20-year-old Thai playing in only his second major tournament.

Unseeded Carlos Moya, the runnerup in 1997 but a second-round and first-round loser the following two years, pulled out with a recurrence of a back injury.