AFP - Frenchman Gael Monfils outlasted the big-serving American Taylor Dent to narrowly avoid a major upset in the first round of the Brisbane International on Tuesday.

After the first two sets went to tiebreaks, the third seeded Monfils seized his chances in the third to defeat Dent 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 and set up a second round clash with countryman Florent Serra.

Serra was pushed even harder by German qualifier Julian Reister, the Frenchman eventually winning 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 in two hours, 40 minutes.

Monfils and Dent gave the crowd an exhibition of power serving and booming groundstrokes over the first two sets, with neither able to force a break.

However, Monfils looked the more likely to find a chink in the armour and he pounced in the tiebreak.

Dent refused to concede and he served brilliantly throughout the second set to keep Monfils under pressure, and this time it was the American who took control of the tiebreaker.

The third set seemed destined to go the same way as the first two until the fifth game when Dent served a loose game and Monfils took his chance to make the vital break.

He held his own serve, broke again then served out a comfortable game to take the match in just under two and a quarter hours.

"I think Taylor got a bit tired (in the third set) and maybe gave me some 'freebies' -- he was going to the net slower and gave me more opportunities," Monfils said.

"He was slower than in the first two sets and I just tried to keep fighting," added Monfils, who said he "knew it would be a tough match".

"I think it was a great win for my first match."

Veteran American James Blake continued his dominance over countryman Sam Querrey, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Blake, displaced last year by Querrey as the number two American behind Andy Roddick, has now won six times in seven meetings between the two.

Crowd favourite Marcos Baghdatis also enjoyed a good start to the tournament, ousting Mardy Fish of the US 7-5, 7-5.

Baghdatis always attracts a large following in Australia and it was no exception in Brisbane as Greek and Cypriot fans loudly cheered on the former Australian Open runner-up.

Baghdatis will take on fourth seed Tomas Berdych in the second round after the Czech bounced Australian qualifier Nick Lindahl out 6-2, 6-4.

Australia's great hope, 17-year-old Bernard Tomic, crashed out at the hands of Ukrainian qualifier Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr.

Tomic is embroiled in an unsavoury feud with Lleyton Hewitt, but a war of words with the Australian number one was the least of his troubles as the little-known Dolgopolov Jr breezed through 6-4, 6-4.

There was far better news for another Australian, qualifier Matthew Ebden, who looked very impressive in his 7-5, 6-1 win over sixth seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer.