Melbourne: Britain`s Ross Hutchins had more than most to smile about on Wednesday after he and partner Colin Fleming advanced to the second round of the men`s doubles with a 6-4 4-6 6-0 victory over Marinko Matosevic and Michal Przysiezny.

It was Hutchins` first win since he returned to the ATP circuit after a year of undergoing treatment for cancer.

"It`s been sort of a strange 12 months," said the 28-year-old, who missed the 2013 season after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin`s lymphoma and underwent several bouts of chemotherapy before he was told in July he was in remission.

"I don`t tend to think of it as, `oh, a year ago I was in hospital`," he added. "I almost think that, `well, I`ve still been playing the last six or seven years and I`m back with Colin.

"I did miss the tour a lot, and especially I missed playing with Colin and hanging around with the guys and just seeing the guys that you see week in and week out.

"Doesn`t feel like I`ve missed a year."

Hutchins said one of the hardest aspects of fighting the disease had been when he had hit a low point physically after several rounds of chemotherapy.

FELT GOOD

"I think normally when you have more chemo is what they say it gets tougher," he said. "So that`s when I was probably struggling the most physically and not feeling my best.

"Since I have been in remission I felt actually really good, and I have built up slowly."

That return to match fitness had prompted Fleming to ring his playing partner just before the New Year and said "well, we`ll team up again".

"I don`t know if that was maybe naive of me or what, but I never literally once thought we wouldn`t team up again."

The pair played together at Brisbane and the Auckland tournaments prior to the Australian Open, losing in the first round at each before they entered the year`s opening grand slam.

"Unfortunately, we lost our first two matches. My level probably wasn`t as high as I hoped it had been," Hutchins said.


"I think we did well to dig out a win today. It was actually brilliant to be honest, and I`m loving the feeling right now."

The right-handed Hutchins had received a huge amount of support from his fellow players and had enjoyed being back in the locker room but he was keen on them now just focussing on him as a guy across the net, who needs to be beaten.

"I don`t want people to feel sorry for me," he said.

"I`m like, `no, don`t. I`m a player and I want to be treated as a player`.

"I want to be treated as another player who has just as much chance to win or lose and to be ruthless out there."