Top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt joined the exodus of seeded players at the Australian Open with a shocking first-round loss Tuesday.

　　The 20-year-old Aussie became the first top seed to lose in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament since 1990 when he lost in four sets to Spaniard Alberto Martin.

　　Hewitt, the first homegrown top seed at the Australian Open since 1976, crumbled to a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) defeat and joined No. 2 Gustavo Kuerten and No. 3 Andre Agassi as early casualties.

　　The Open is the first Grand Slam event to enter the second round without any of the top three men's seeds.

　　Agassi, the two-time defending champion, withdrew before a ball was hit, citing a wrist injury he picked up in an exhibition match Saturday against Pete Sampras. Kuerten lost in five sets Monday.

　　Stefan Edberg was No. 1 seed at the 1990 U.S. Open when he lost his opener to Russia's Alexander Volkov.

　　No top seed had been eliminated in the first round of an Australian Open in the Open era.