Richie got off to a flying start in 2008 with a straight sets victory over Igor Andreev in Sydney.

Playing at the Medibank International in Sydney, Richie secured a comfortable 6-3, 7-6(6) victory over World No. 34 Igor Andreev.

Richie, the top seed Down Under, hit seven aces and broke serve twice to cruise to victory in one hour and 33 minutes.

What a great start to his Australian Open preparations!

Next up for Richie will be either Dmitry Tursunov, or Doha finalist Stanislas Wawrinka.

Stay tuned to RG.net for all the latest news from Sydney, including his thoughts post match.