Milos Raonic has secured a place in the second round of the Australian Open with a 7-6 7-6 6-3 victory over Illya Marchenko in Melbourne.

Marchenko's defensive ability made life difficult for Raonic in the early stages of the match, but he relied on his serve to force his rival into a tie-break, before taking the opener with a 7-3 success.

The pattern was similar in the second set as the wait for a break point continued, but Marchenko showed no sign of offering an easy win to the eighth seed.

Both players attacked the serve in the second tie-break as Raonic delivered the goods to move into a commanding position.

A larger deficit forced Marchenko to take more risks, which suited Raonic, who secured a break of serve early in the third set.

There was still no sign of weakness on the Raonic serve, and the 24-year-old, who has never progressed past the fourth round in Melbourne, served out for the win.