Lleyton Hewitt's final swing through the North American hard-court circuit began with a victory at the Citi Open.

The hardcourt season in North America began at the Citi Open on Tuesday,

And it was an all-Australian affair as veteran and former tournament champion Lleyton Hewitt took on qualifier Patrick Smith.

Hewitt, who has only won two matches in ten this season, got off to a strong start, to take the first set 6-3.

His opponent, Smith, ranked 133rd in the world, stepped up his game in the second, but Hewitt's experience prevailed as he closed out the set 6-4 to progress to round 2.

Although he's a former US Open and Wimbledon champion, an injury-plagued run and a series of poor results mean that Hewitt is now only 163rd in the world rankings.

But a straight sets victory over his compatriot will be a confidece boost, and he'll be hoping he can emulate his performance in 2004, when he won the washington tournament.