David Nalbandian has beaten former world number one Lleyton Hewitt in another epic five-set Australian Open battle between the two as the Argentinean won out 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 9-7.

The Argentine fought back to convincingly win a fourth set tie-breaker. Nalbandian broke early in the fifth before breaking Hewitt's serve again late on in a match that lasted four hours and 48 minutes. Nalbandian will now play Richard Berankis of Lithuania in the second round.

"He played unbelievable. From the beginning it was very tough. A very tough first round match," Nalbandian said.

"I expected a match like that with the crowd. It's amazing playing with full stadium, with him here in Australia.

"I think we both had a lot of chances. I mean, I was two match points down and then I was serving for the match before in the fifth.

"It was that kind of match that nobody will forget it."

It was an extraordinary match full of intensity between the two competitive rivals from their junior days and Nalbandian finished limping from cramp.

Hewitt's failure to convert his many break point opportunities came back to haunt him after seven service breaks from 30 break point opportunities, while Nalbandian went six from 12.

The last time the pair met at the Australian Open in the 2005 quarter-finals 2005, Hewitt won 10-8 in the fifth set in a famously bad-tempered encounter.

"That was the quarter-finals and that was many years ago," Nalbandian said, recalling that meeting.

"We are both are older now after hip surgery. It is not easy to come back.

"I think we played very intense tennis tonight until the end. We were both cramping, very tired. We both fought until the very end."

It was the 2005 finalist Hewitt's fifth first-round exit at his record 15th consecutive Australian Open and a bitter outcome after suffering a hip injury in last year's fourth round loss to eventual champion Roger Federer, ABC news reported.