The Swiss star, dressed in all black, quickly found his form and began ripping winners from all over the court, quashing any suggestions that he might be vulnerable for an early upset.
On a perfect night for tennis, Federer was often perfect, running off the first nine games and the last seven. He finished off the match with his 11th ace. With 38 winners and just 14 unforced errors - none in the third set - he compiled twice as many points as Hartfield, 84-42.
Hartfield was left in awe.
"I can't imagine how it's possible to beat him if he plays like this."
Rafael Nadal advanced to the third round with a 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 win over Frenchman Florent Serra.
Against Serra, he displayed some of the shots he hopes will help him end Federer's dominance at every Grand Slam not played on clay.
Nadal has been ranked No. 2 for the last three seasons and is the only player to beat top-ranked Federer in the last 10 Grand Slams - in the finals at Roland Garros the last two years.
Serena Williams showed touches of the form that helped her to the last Australian Open title and a 25-1 record dating to 2003 at Melbourne Park.
Williams was clearly the aggressor in a 6-3, 6-1 win over Meng Yuan of China, but Yuan displayed her own feistiness and refusal to give up on every point. She was nearly flawless in the first set with only one unforced error, and broke Williams twice, but still was overwhelmed by the American's power on key points.
Williams ran off the last four games, breaking Yuan with a backhand crosscourt passing shot on match point that the Chinese player let drop, only to see it clip the line.
Williams finished with 35 winners to 18 unforced errors but had trouble with her first serve in the wind, getting only 51 percent into play.
"It's always exciting to win," Williams said. "I'll never stop fighting. I really enjoy the battle."
Top-ranked Justine Henin needed four match points to clinch a 6-1, 7-5 second-round win over Russian Olga Poutchkova.
She was broken at love when serving for the match at 5-3, then set up double match point with a curling forehand winner in the next game before Poutchkova ran off four points to level at 5-all.
That's when Henin shifted gears.
