Lleyton Hewitt’s controversial Australian Open campaign is over after just one match with the Davis Cup captain bowing out in the first round of the men’s doubles.

Saddling up for his 22nd year at Melbourne Park, Hewitt and his partner, fellow Australian John-Patrick Smith, fell to New Zealand’s Marcus Daniell and Dutchman Wesley Koolhof 6-3 1-6 4-6.

Hewitt was criticised early in the tournament by Bernard Tomic for taking a youngster’s place in the doubles draw as he required a wildcard to compete.

But it was business as usual for the 37-year-old, whose first Australian Open appearance came in 1997 as a 15-year-old.

Hewitt and Smith looked sharp in the opening set, watched by a healthy crowd in the low-key surroundings of court seven.

But they failed to get on the scoreboard until the sixth game of the second set.

Daniell broke to take a 3-1 lead in the deciding set before Koolhof served out the match.