Australian Open

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2011-03-05T04:35:00.000-08:00

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Saturday March 5, 2011

Kick off: 15:00 Day 29 Emirates Stadium

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Bob Bryan / Mike Bryan vs Mardy Fish / John Isner Live Streaming

2009-01-27T00:33:00.000-08:00

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 9
Best Doubles Performance: Winner (2006, 2007)
Events Entered: Men's Doubles (with Mike Bryan)

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 9
Best Doubles Performance: Winner (2006, 2007)
Events Entered: Men's Doubles (with Bob Bryan)

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 6
Best Singles Performance: Quarter Finalist (2007)
Best Doubles Performance: Quarter Finalist (2005)
Events Entered: Men's Singles, Men's Doubles (with John Isner)

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 1
Best Singles Performance: 1st Round (2008)
Best Doubles Performance: 1st Round (2008)
Events Entered: Men's Singles, Men's Doubles (with Mardy Fish)

Rafael Nadal vs Gilles Simon Live Streaming

2009-01-26T23:31:00.000-08:00

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 4
Best Singles Performance: Semi Finalist (2008)
Best Doubles Performance: 3rd Round (2004, 2005)
Events Entered: Men's Singles

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 3
Best Singles Performance: 3rd Round (2006, 2008)
Best Doubles Performance: 2nd Round (2008)
Events Entered: Men's Singles, Men's Doubles (with Jeremy Chardy)

Fernando Verdasco vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Live Streaming

2009-01-26T23:29:00.002-08:00

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 5
Best Singles Performance: 2nd Round (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
Best Doubles Performance: 2nd Round (2006)
Events Entered: Men's Singles, Men's Doubles (with Feliciano Lopez)

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 2
Best Singles Performance: Finalist (2008)
Best Doubles Performance: 2nd Round (2008)
Events Entered: Men's Singles

Fernando Verdasco vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Live Streaming

2009-01-26T23:29:00.001-08:00

Svetlana Kuznetsova vs Serena Williams Live Streaming

2009-01-26T23:25:00.000-08:00

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 7
Best Singles Performance: Quarter Finalist (2005)
Best Doubles Performance: Winner (2005)
Events Entered: Women's Singles, Women's Doubles (with Nadia Petrova)

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 9
Best Singles Performance: Winner (2003, 2005, 2007)
Best Doubles Performance: Winner (2001, 2003)
Events Entered: Women's Singles, Women's Doubles (with Venus Williams)

Carla Suarez Navarro vs Elena Dementieva Live Streaming

2009-01-26T23:14:00.000-08:00

Player Overview
Events Entered: Women's Singles ,Women's Doubles(with Petra Cetkovska)

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 10
Best Singles Performance: 4th Round (2002, 2005, 2007, 2008)
Best Doubles Performance: 3rd Round (2005, 2006, 2007)
Events Entered: Women's Singles

Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)[8] vs Roger Federer(SUI)[2] Live Streaming

2009-01-25T23:12:00.000-08:00

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 2
Best Singles Performance: 2nd Round (2007, 2008)
Events Entered: Men's Singles

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 9
Best Singles Performance: Winner (2004, 2006, 2007)
Best Doubles Performance: 3rd Round (2003)
Events Entered: Men's Singles

Dinara Safina (RUS)[3] vs Jelena Dokic (AUS) Live Streaming

2009-01-25T23:10:00.000-08:00

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 6
Best Singles Performance: 3rd Round (2004, 2007)
Best Doubles Performance: Quarter Finalist (2004, 2005)
Events Entered: Women's Singles

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 4
Best Singles Performance: 3rd Round (1999)
Best Doubles Performance: 3rd Round (1999, 2000)
Events Entered: Women's Singles

Andy Roddick (USA)[7] vs Novak Djokovic (SRB)[3] Live Streaming

2009-01-25T23:08:00.000-08:00

Player Overview

Australian Opens Played:

Best Singles Performance:

Semi Finalist (2003, 2005, 2007)

Events Entered:

Men's Singles

Player Overview

Australian Opens Played:

Best Singles Performance:

Winner (2008)

Best Doubles Performance:

1st Round (2006, 2007)

Events Entered:

Men's Singles

Marion Bartoli (FRA) vs Vera Zvonareva (RUS) Live Streaming

2009-01-25T23:05:00.000-08:00

However, it was curtains for Rohan Bopanna and his Finnish partner Jarkko Nieminen who lost their second-round match in Melbourne.

Third seeds Bhupathi and Knowles had to fend off a tough fight from the unseeded Russian pair of Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov before emerging 7-5 7-5 victorious in a 92-minute duel.

The Indo-Bahamian pair will next take on Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador and Tommy Robredo of Spain who defeated Bopanna and Nieminen 6-4 6-4 in the second round.

Bhupathi and Knowles played near flawless tennis with no double faults and just three unforced to their opponents' 14 in the whole match. Though they had a slower service, the third seeded duo converted four out of nine break points that came their way.

Bopanna and Nieminen, on the other hand, were error-prone and committed as many as 16 unforced errors to their opponents' 11.

Another Indian, Leander Paes, and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy, seeded fourth, had also sailed into the third round defeating unseeded Italian-Croat pairing of Fabio Fognini and Ivan Ljubcic 6-3 6-4 yesterday.

Partnering Sania Mirza, Bhupathi has also made it to the second round of the mixed doubles.

James Blake vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Live Streaming

2009-01-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

Watch James Blake vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Live Streaming

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Australian Open officials admit violence is nearly impossible to eradicate despite unprecedented security following the third ethnic clashes here in as many years.

Tournament director Craig Tiley said it was hard to stop every incident, with organisers concentrating on preventing as many as possible and stamping out any flare-ups quickly.

"It is hard to have people walk through the site in large numbers and not to have an incident between three or four individuals, but our action against that is swift and quick," Tiley told AFP.

Hundreds of thousands of fans pass through Melbourne Park over the two-week tournament with many gulping beer at the Garden Square big-screen area where Serbian and Bosnian fans brawled on Friday.

They hurled plastic chairs at each other, knocking one Bosnian woman to the ground as she was hit on the head. About 30 men were ejected as skirmishes continued outside.

The latest incident came despite increased CCTV surveillance after similar clashes over the past two years.

In 2007, Serbian and Croatian fans attacked each other with flag poles and bottles and last year, police used pepper spray to subdue rowdy elements of the crowd watching a match between Konstantinos Economidis and Fernando Gonzales.

Tiley said nearly all of Melbourne Park, which includes three main arenas, two show courts and 19 outside courts on the edge of the city centre, was now covered by CCTV cameras which are monitored constantly.

"If we recognise someone that is potentially going to de disruptive, through the CCTV we monitor what they're doing and how they're moving through the site," he said.

"We have a full security team that's constantly looking at surveillance tape and direct TV. If they recognise something that's going to be potentially disruptive they go through a management process with that."

Tiley admitted the incidents had damaged the image of the tournament, which is the only Grand Slam -- and the only tennis event -- to have a problem with violence.

But he said they would not harm Melbourne's chances of retaining the Open, which has reportedly attracted interest from Sydney, Shanghai and Dubai.

"It's certainly damaged the image (but) we've been consistent in saying we've no intention of going anywhere," Tiley said.

"Melbourne is the home of the Australian Open. It's supported not only by our national visitors but also the visitors from outside the state of Victoria."

The latests incident attracted strong condemnation from players such as Roger Federer, Ana Ivanovic, Mario Ancic and Bosnian-American Amer Delic, whose defeat to Serbia's Novak Djokovic preceded the violence.

Melbourne, Australia's second biggest city, is a cultural melting pot and home to thousands of Serbs, Bosnians and Croatians who are sometimes at odds over the 1990s Balkans war

Rafael Nadal vs Fernando Gonzalez Live Streaming

2009-01-25T20:19:00.000-08:00

Watch Rafael Nadal vs Fernando Gonzalez Live Streaming

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Powerhouse Rafael Nadal shot down Tommy Haas on Saturday to make the second week of the Australian Open, while rusty triple champion Serena Williams booked a fourth round clash with Victoria Azarenka.

Fourth seeds Andy Murray and Elena Dementieva joined them in the round of 16, with the Scot crushing Austria's Jurgen Melzer 7-5, 6-0, 6-3 and the Russian beating local favourite Samantha Stosur 7-6 (8/6), 6-4.

In an epic four-hour thriller, Chile's Fernando Gonzalez ground down France's Richard Gasquet 3-6, 3-6, 7-6 (12/10), 6-2, 12-10 for the right to meet Nadal next.

Also making the grade were three Frenchmen -- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon, and Gael Monfils.

Nadal showed why he is world number one by demolishing Germany's Haas and said he was playing some of his best tennis ever.

"I played one of my best matches in Australia out there," he said afterwards.

"I can sleep with a lot of satisfaction."

Williams, the tournament favourite, crushed China's Peng Shuai 6-1, 6-4 to set up an intriguing showdown with Azarenka after the Belarusian ended any hope Amelie Mauresmo had of repeating her 2006 heroics here.

--AFP/William West
AFP/William West
view photo

Stung by a listless "D-minus" performance in the second round and sister Venus' shock exit at the same stage, Williams stamped her authority on the match early and never let go.

"It was definitely a lot better than my second round. But, you know, I'm still trying to work on some things and hoping they'll come together," said Williams.

"I'm feeling a little rusty, for whatever reason. I'm hoping my next round I'll be a little better."

Peng's departure leaves Zheng Jie as China's only player left.

Elena Dementieva
view photo

The Wimbledon semi-finalist, the 22nd seed, beat Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2, 6-2 to continue her best-ever Australian Open showing with a fourth round tie pending against former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The woman who ousted Venus Williams, Spain's unseeded Carla Suarez Navarro, continued her surprise march, beating countrywoman Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-1, 6-4.

Next up for her is another Spaniard, Anabel Medina Garrigues, who sent Italian 12th seed Flavia Pennetta packing 6-4, 6-1.

Suarez Navarro said she wasn't thinking too far ahead.

"Maybe, maybe not," she said of her quarter-final chances.

While the focus has been on the big name stars on the men's side, the French contingent is looking dangerous.

Twelfth seed Monfils came into the Open overshadowed by higher-profile countrymen Tsonga and Simon but has been making his mark.

He produced another impressive display to dismiss 17th seeded Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 and will face off for a quarter-final spot with Simon, who beat Croatia's Mario Ancic in straight sets.

"It will be a hard match against Gael who is a very, very good player," he said. "When he focuses he plays well and when only 16 people are left in the draw, every match is going to be hard."

Tsonga, a surprise finalist last year, recovered from a third-set lapse to grind down Israeli qualifier Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1.

But the hard-hitting showdown between Gonzalez and Gasquet was the match of the day, spanning four hours and nine minutes with the Chilean staging a remarkable comeback after going two sets down.

In other action, Spanish 14th seed Fernando Verdasco was an easy 6-4, 6-0, 6-0 winner over Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic and will next face Murray.

Andy Murray vs Fernando Verdasco Live Streaming

2009-01-25T20:17:00.000-08:00

Watch Andy Murray vs Fernando Verdasco Live Streaming

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 3
Best Singles Performance: 4th Round (2007)
Best Doubles Performance: 1st Round (2006)
Events Entered: Men’s Singles

Player Overview
Australian Opens Played: 5
Best Singles Performance: 2nd Round (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
Best Doubles Performance: 2nd Round (2006)
Events Entered: Men’s Singles
Men’s Doubles
(with Feliciano Lopez)

Australian Open - View from the courts: Day seven

2009-01-25T19:36:00.001-08:00

Reaction from the key protagonists on a busy day of fourth-round action at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Jelena Dokic after rolling back the years to advance to the quarter-finals: "Every single match I've played has been three sets. I really had to come through in all of them. I'm just really fighting. I'm really determined and fighting. That's sometimes what keeps it going. I think (my coach) might have a few drinks tonight. I think I might as well!"

Dinara Safina after being forced to save match points against Alize Cornet: "I played like a junior today, it's just lucky that I went through. I guess she was just not ready to beat me. I was just hanging in there. I'm just a little bit disappointed about this match, playing against this girl and allowing myself to make these kind of mistakes. Somebody (should) smack me so hard in my head that something shakes and I put the cables together. (My coach told me) if I continue playing like this, he may as well just go home. I keep telling myself to hit the ball but my arm just doesn't want to, because my mind is just stupid."

Marion Bartoli after her straight sets win over world number one Jelena Jankovic: "I'm just so happy to be on Rod Laver Arena because usually at the Australian Open I'm playing that badly that I'm on court 21. I think I played amazingly. The last game of the match was pretty tough. I just tried to play my game. I served so well and I'm very pleased to have won. I knew I could beat Jelena on a good day, it was just a matter of executing, you know, play the right shot at the right time and don't make too many mistakes. But I was not overwhelmed by the situation, and I just went for my shot and everything went in today. It was just a great match."

Jankovic after her lacklustre fourth-round defeat: "I haven't played for a while. Unfortunately, me and my mother, we got sick, so it was very hard where I couldn't play some matches over there, which I wanted, just to feel the atmosphere, get the rhythm on the court. My opponent was really on fire today and she was hitting everything and really went for her shots. Most of those were going in. It was tough. I really enjoy being the number one. Maybe it will change, the number one ranking, but it's not important what you do now, it's the whole of the year. I think, at least for me, the most important thing is how you finish, not how you begin."

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley on the repeated outbreaks of violence among spectators, including Friday's fight between Serbian and Bosnian fans who hurled plastic chairs at each other: "It is hard to have people walk through the site in large numbers and not to have an incident between three or four individuals, but our action against that is swift and quick... We have a full security team that's constantly looking at surveillance tape and direct TV. If they recognise something that's going to be potentially disruptive they go through a management process with that... It's certainly damaged the image (but) we've been consistent in saying we've no intention of going anywhere. Melbourne is the home of the Australian Open."

Australian Open - Women: Jankovic crashes out

2009-01-25T19:35:00.000-08:00

Top seed Jelena Jankovic was knocked out of the fourth round of the Australian Open by France's Marion Bartoli.

The Frenchwoman capitalised on the Serbian's poor service game and blasted winners at every opportunity before she ended the world number one's misery 6-1 6-4 in just 82 minutes.

The unconventional Bartoli, who despite being right handed plays two handed off both sides, had not advanced beyond the Australian Open second round in seven previous attempts.

The 16th seed set up a quarter-final against seventh seed Vera Zvonareva, who beat fellow Russian Nadia Petrova 7-5 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the first time.

Zvonareva won the first set when the 10th-seeded Petrova dropped her serve in the 11th game on a double-fault and then broke her immediately at the start of the second.

Zvonareva, seeded seventh at Melbourne Park this year, has not made a grand slam quarter-final since the 2003 French Open.

Bartoli, blasting winners from both sides off the baseline, jumped out to a 4-0 first set lead and, while Jankovic held three break points in the fifth game, the Frenchwoman held her nerve to take a 5-0 lead.

She held two set points in the sixth game but Jankovic was finally able to hold her serve.

The 16th seed, however, was not to be denied the first set, which she clinched with a delicate drop push that left the scrambling Jankovic wafting at thin air.

The Serb won just 13 points on her own serve in the first set, but losing the set seemed to wake Jankovic up, although both players struggled with their serve in the second, each breaking the other twice in the first eight games.

Bartoli hung tough, however, securing her fifth break of the match and booking her place in the quarter-finals after rifling a backhand cross-court winner past a deflated Jankovic.

Russian world number three Dinara Safina almost followed Jankovic out of the tournament but saved two match points and won the last five games in an extraordinary comeback to beat French teenager Alize Cornet 6-2 2-6 7-5.

Cornet was on the verge of a huge upset when she recovered from losing the first to lead 5-2 in the third when her game suddenly fell apart under a ferocious attack from Safina.

Cornet twice failed to serve out the match and squandered two match points in the 10th game as Safina turned up the heat to snatch victory.

Safina, whose brother Marat Safin saved a match point in the semi-finals against Roger Federer before winning the Australian Open men's singles title in 2005, will play Australia's Jelena Dokic in the quarter-finals.

Dokic won a dramatic match against number 29 seed Alisa Kleybanova 7-5 5-7 8-6 in the Rod Laver Arena to continue her fairytale tournament.

The 25-year-old suffered a twisted ankle late in the deciding set, but somehow mustered the resolve to break Kleybanova in the 14th game and win the match to send the partisan home crowd wild.

Australian Open - Brits: Murray through in mixed

2009-01-25T19:34:00.000-08:00

Jamie Murray and his mixed doubles partner Liezel Huber enjoyed a solid start to their Australian Open campaign with a straight-sets victory over Australians Sophie Ferguson and Chris Guccione.

Murray and his American partner are seeded fourth in the event and won 6-2 7-5 without having to save a break point in a comfortable victory.

They will next face Nathalie Dechy of France and Andy Ram of Israel after that pair defeated Australia's Rennae Stubbs and Czech Republic's Frantisek Cermak 6-1 6-4.

Murray reached the final of the US Open with Huber last year and the Scot also won the 2007 mixed doubles championship at Wimbledon with Serbia's Jelena Jankovic.

There were also two Britons involved in the Junior Girls competition with mixed results.

Heather Watson, who is seeded ninth, stormed into the second round with a ruthless 6-2 6-1 victory over Australia's Harriet Sheahan.

However, Hannah James crashed out; despite winning the first set against Serbia's Alexandra Krunic she went down 2-6 6-4 7-5.

Australian Open - Brits: Robson cruises through

2009-01-25T19:33:00.000-08:00

Britain's Laura Robson booked her place in the second round of the Australian Open girls singles with a straight sets win.

Fifth seed Robson, who is also the Wimbledon junior champion, needed just 80 minutes to cruise past American Christina McHale 7-5 6-3.

The 15-year-old, who fired down six aces during the match and joins fellow Brit Heather Watson in the second round, will next face Thailand's Kanyapat Narattana.

Both Robson and Watson are also entered into the girls doubles draw. Robson will be partnering Belarussian Anna Orlik, while Watson, seeded seventh, will join forces with

Australian Open - Men: Federer survives huge scare

2009-01-25T19:32:00.000-08:00

World number two Roger Federer fought back from two sets down to snatch a dramatic 4-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 6-2 victory against Tomas Berdych, retaining his hopes of winning a 14th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

Federer, who is seeking to equal Pete Sampras's record for Grand Slam titles, appeared listless from the beginning of his fourth round match with the Czech, before he found his form in the middle of the third set and never looked back.

The Swiss second seed had numerous opportunities to seal decisive games in each of the opening sets but the 20th-seeded Berdych managed to find a booming serve, blistering return or a winner to halt Federer's momentum.

However, after Berdych missed a smash while 3-4 down in the third, Federer seized the initiative and drastically raised his game to take the match in three hours, 29 minutes, setting up a quarter-final with Juan Martin Del Potro.

The Argentine put a slow start behind him to advance 5-7 6-4 6-4 6-2 at the expense of Croatia's Marin Cilic.

At 20, Del Potro becomes the youngest quarter-finalist since Richard Krajicek in 1992.

The Argentine retired in round two on his both previous visits here but has now reached two consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals after last year's US Open.

American Andy Roddick also booked his place in the quarter-finals, beating Tommy Robredo 7-5 6-1 6-3 and extending his perfect record against the Spaniard to 10 matches.

The seventh seed, who has only conceded one set to Robredo in their 10 meetings, overwhelmed him again to wrap up a comprehensive victory in one hour and 47 minutes.

Roddick, 26, has made the semi-finals three times at Melbourne Park in his seven previous visits but has yet to make the final.

His quarter-final opponent on Tuesday will be defending champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who kept alive his Australian Open defence with a 6-1 7-6 6-7 6-2 fourth-round win over Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus that stretched into the early hours of the Melbourne morning.

Djokovic, who seems to be steadily growing in confidence with each match of the tournament, raced through the opening set in 25 minutes then fought back from a break down to win the second in a tie-break.

Baghdatis, a finalist at Melbourne Park three years ago, won the third in another tie-break but twice failed to hold his own service games in the fourth set as Djokovic finally sealed victory at 2.26am local time.

Giantkiller Suarez Navarro into Open quarters

2009-01-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Spanish giantkiller Carla Suarez Navarro continued her dream debut at the Australian Open Monday, reaching the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-2 win over 21st seed Anabel Medina Garrigues.

Suarez Navarro, who dumped Venus Williams from the tournament in the second round, encountered little trouble dispatching fellow Spaniard Medina Garrigues in 73 minutes.

The unseeded 20-year-old's appearance in the last eight will equal her previous best performance at a Grand Slam at the French Open last year.

She will meet either Russian fourth seed Elena Dementieva or Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova, seeded 18, in the quarter-finals.

Suarez Navarro's single-handed backhand drew comparisons with Justine Henin after her match against Williams and she used it to great effect as she broke Medina Garrigues twice in each set.

Combining her backhand with a powerful forehand, Suarez Navarro hit 20 winners to Medina Garrigues' seven in the match.

Medina Garrigues broke back once in the first set but her opponent was soon up 5-2 and served out the set after 39 minutes.

The 26-year-old could not keep up in the second as Suarez Navarro attacked her second serve, yelling at herself in Spanish as she tried to find a way into the match.

But her younger compatriot broke her in the fifth and seventh games, confidently rushing to the net on match point to send a forehand beyond Medina Garrigues's reach and claim victory.

Australian Open - Men: Simon into quarters

2009-01-25T19:27:00.000-08:00

Simon had been leading 6-4 2-6 6-1 and ahead 30-0 while serving when Monfils, who had been continuously flexing and shaking his right hand throughout the match, called a halt to proceedings.

Monfils, the 12th seed at Melbourne Park, had received treatment on his right wrist during the third set and then had it strapped before the fourth set began. Simon will meet either Spanish top seed Rafael Nadal or Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, who play later on Monday, in the quarter-finals.

See the Australian Open live all the way to the final on February 1 on the Eurosport Player. Access live action each day from up to five different courts in Melbourne and catch up on the big games through video on demand. Click on the link under the picture to subscribe.

Australian Open - Women: Venus crashes out

2009-01-22T23:28:00.000-08:00

Venus Williams crashed out the Australian Open in the second round in Melbourne, losing in three sets to Carla Suarez Navarro.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion, shimmering under the lights in a canary-yellow dress, held a match point late in the third set but went down 2-6 6-3 7-5.

Venus tore through the first set as the match started off following the script but she was unsettled in the second as Suarez Navarro stepped in a little and started to take the American's shots on the rise.

Ripping through and over the ball to impart great top-spin, the Spaniard began to wrest control from Venus and eased ahead in set two, finally taking it when a miss-hit forehand flew long from the American's racket.

All long limbs and angry squeals, Venus threw everything at her opponent at the start of the third but her serve was continuing to fail her. Still, though, she held on to nose ahead.

Suarez Navarro's answer was to step in even further and pummel away with heavy groundstrokes.

It was Venus who finally got the breakthrough to creep 3-1 ahead, closing out the fourth game with a big forehand swing-volley.

She needed a big swinging ace to stave off a breakpoint in the next game and then slammed in a 192 kph serve to regain control before double-faulting for deuce again.

Another forehand volley had mother Oracene holding her head but gave Venus another game point and this time she held to move 4-1 ahead in the decider.

The American thought she had the buffer she needed but, refusing to be cowed, Suarez Navarro unleashed a series of shimmering shots to peg Venus back and break her for 5-4.

Riled, the powerful Venus responded with some stinging returns in the next game. She racked up one match point but blew it with a clumsily hit backhand long and the Spaniard eventually held for 5-5.

Suarez Navarro piled the pressure on Venus in the next game and earned two break points. Venus saw off the first with a stinging serve, but pushed a forehand wide to be broken.

Serving for the match, Suarez Navarro missed her first match point with a wide forehand but clinched the best victory of her career on the second when Venus netted a forehand.

She faces Spanish compatriot Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the next round.

Sister Serena produced a characteristic fightback to advance to the third round after a 6-3 7-5 victory over Argentina's Gisela Dulko.

Williams comfortably won the first set but had to overcome 3-0 and 5-2 deficits in the second before she won the match in 110 minutes. The second set lasted 79 minutes alone.

The second seed's fighting qualities were never better displayed with Dulko serving for the set in the ninth game.

The Argentine had five set points, each of which Williams staved off. Williams also held six break points of her own before finally winning the game on her seventh opportunity to take the score to 4-5.

The nine-times Grand Slam winner took some time to adjust a protective brace and strapping around her ankles in the changeover and then held serve to level at 5-5.

She broke Dulko in another epic struggle in the next game to serve out for the match, which she sealed with an ace.

Elena Dementieva extended her winning streak to 12 matches with a comfortable 6-4 6-1 victory over Iveta Benesova.

Dementieva, who is unbeaten in 2009 after claiming the Auckland and Sydney titles, said after her first-round victory over Kristina Barrois that her run of matches had made her a little fatigued and affected her performance.

The world number four made 23 unforced errors and served five double faults on the second show court but was still too strong for the world number 35, wrapping up the match in 72 minutes.

The Beijing Olympics gold medallist overpowered Benesova with 20 clear winners to the Czech's seven and will meet Australia's Samantha Stosur in the third round.

Stosur provided some temporary relief to Australia's dwindling tennis stocks when she beat Germany's Sabine Lisicki 6-3 6-4.

Following Jelena Dokic's win on Wednesday night, Stosur's victory ensured Australia would have two women in the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in five years.

China's Zheng Jie also doggedly made the third round, battling for a 7-6 (0) 5-7 6-3 victory over Hungary's Melinda Czink.

Zheng showed her mettle last year by making the semi-finals of Wimbledon, but had never before gone beyond the first round in Melbourne in four previous attempts.

Australian Open - View from the courts: Day five

2009-01-22T23:25:00.000-08:00

Reaction from the key protagonists on a busy day of third-round action at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Marin Cilic on his straight sets win over 11th seed David Ferrer: "I would say that it was a good performance from me. At the beginning of the match he broke me in the second game. That I think woke me up a little bit, which was good for me. I reacted very well and broke him back again and I was in the game pretty good from that moment on. I think I have some more room to improve my game a little bit more, to hit the ball a little bit better. My serve wasn't the best today but I got away with it, mixing it up, serving very well at the crucial moments."

Dinara Safina after easing into the fourth round for the first time at Melbourne Park: "There's a first time for everything. Twice I lost in the third round. I was like this today: 'That is the third time (and it) should be the luckiest one.' I'm not a roadrunner on the court. I cannot be as fast as some other players, but I have some other weapons. If I use my power, then I have to run less. It's time to use it sometimes."

Novak Djokovic after battling past Amer Delic in four sets: "He has one of the biggest serves out there, it was difficult for me to return and find rhythm. I have big respect for Amer, we have known each other a long time and he absolutely deserved to be here. He played great tennis today."

Australian Open

2009-01-22T23:23:00.000-08:00

Australian Open - Live

3rd Round Player

A Roddick 6 4 - - -
F Santoro 3 2 - - -

Australian Open - Results

3rd Round Player

T Robredo 6 6 6 - -
Y Lu 1 3 2 - -
M Cilic 7 6 6 - -
D Ferrer 6 3 4 - -
N Djokovic 6 4 6 7 -
A Delic 2 6 3 6 -
J Del Potro 6 7 6 7 -
G Muller 7 5 3 5 -
J Jankovic 6 6 - - -
A Sugiyama 4 4 - - -
M Bartoli 3 6 6 - -
L Safarova 6 2 1 - -
A Cornet 4 6 6 - -
D Hantuchova 6 4 2 - -
V Zvonareva 6 6 - - -
S Earrani 4 1 - - -
D Safina 6 6 - - -
K Kanepi 2 2 - - -
A Murray 6 6 6 - -
M Granollers-Pujol 4 2 2 - -
J Blake 6 6 6 - -
S De Chaunac 3 2 3 - -
C Suarez Navarro 2 6 7 - -
V Williams 6 3 5 - -

Australian Open - Men: Battling Djokovic progresses

2009-01-22T23:20:00.000-08:00

Serbia's Novak Djokovic recovered from dropping his first set of the tournament to beat American Amer Delic 6-2 4-6 6-3 7-6(4) in the third round of the Australian Open.

The defending champion lost the second set after a brief lapse in concentration but regained his composure to win the next two, despite being pushed to a tiebreaker in the fourth.

Delic, who was promoted to the main draw as a lucky loser when Nicolas Kiefer pulled out, troubled the world number three with his booming serve but Djokovic's big-match experience proved decisive.

But while Djokovic went through Spain's David Ferrer, the 11th seed who was beaten by Djokovic in the quarter-finals last year, crashed out to Croatia's Marin Cilic 7-6(5) 6-3 6-4.

Cilic will now meet dangerous Argentine eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro who came from a set down to beat Luxembourg's Gilles Muller 6-7(5) 7-5 6-3 7-5.

In a match lasting almost three-and-a-half hours, del Potro weathered some brilliant serving from Muller to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time, surpassing his third-round effort at the US Open in 2006.

Djokovic survives Australian Open scare as Safina fires warning

2009-01-22T23:16:00.000-08:00

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Defending champion Novak Djokovic survived a scare to book a place in the Australian Open fourth round as Dinara Safina fired a warning with a convincing rout.

World number three Djokovic was made to work by American Amer Delic on a hot day before running out a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) winner.

It was a less than convincing display by the Serb who struggled to cope with Delic's big serve.

"He has one of the biggest serves out there, it was difficult for me to return and find rhythm," he said.

"I have big respect for Amer, we have known each other a long time and he absolutely deserved to be here. He played great tennis today."

While Djokovic went through Spain's David Ferrer, the 11th seed who was beaten by Djokovic in the quarter-finals last year, crashed out to Croatia's Marin Cilic 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-4.

Cilic will now meet dangerous Argentine eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro who came from a set down to beat Luxembourg's Gilles Muller 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-3, 7-5.

In a match lasting almost three-and-a-half hours, del Potro weathered some brilliant serving from Muller to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time, surpassing his third-round effort at the US Open in 2006.

"It was a really tough match for me, and for Gilles also," said the Argentine.

"I had a slow start but at the end of the first set I started to play better and that was the key to victory."

Roger Federer is on court later Friday in a blockbuster evening match against Russia's Marat Safin, the man who beat the Swiss in the semi-finals en route to the title in 2005.

Safin's sister Safina is running into form as the tournament progresses and whipped Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-2, 6-2 as she stayed on track to meet Serbia's Ana Ivanovic in the quarter-finals.

The third seed came into the tournament after a breakthrough 2008 in which she snared four titles plus Olympic silver, and made good on her stated intention of playing a more aggressive game this year.

"Finally I played my game. Compared to my first two matches, I reached my level," said Safina, 22, who has bulked up this season using her muscular power to overwhelm opponents.

"From now on I have to play like this or even better every day because it will be tougher and tougher coming up, but I'm really happy that I won in two sets.

"If I use my power, then I have to run less. It's time to use it sometimes."

Also into the fourth round is Russia's Vera Zvonareva, with the seventh seed playing scintilating tennis.

After a rare 'double bagel' rout of Edina Gallovits in the second round, she continued her impressive advance with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Italy's Sara Errani.

Tenth seeded Russian Nadia Petrova also went through after Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva retired with back pain after losing the first set 6-1.

World number one and top seed Jelena Jankovic takes on Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama later Friday, with her quest for a maiden Grand Slam title made easier now that one of the Williams sisters, Venus, is out.

Australian Open - Men: Relentless Nadal through

2009-01-22T23:11:00.000-08:00

World number one Rafael Nadal gave another powerful statement of his Australian Open intentions by crushing Croatia's Roko Karanusic 6-2 6-3 6-2 in the second round.

The Spaniard, minus his trademark long shorts and cut off sleeves, raced to victory in 97 minutes for the loss of just seven games.

Nadal has never won the Australian Open but has gradually improved at each of his previous four attempts, culminating in a semi-final appearance last year.

He faces Tommy Haas of Germany in the third round on Saturday and is expecting a much tougher match.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga completed a great day for French tennis when he beat Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 6-7 7-6 7-6 6-2.

Tsonga showed no signs of the back injury that forced him to pull out of a warm-up event in Sydney last week as he wore down his opponent with an impressive performance.

Fifth seed Tsonga looked to be in early trouble when he lost the opening set and was down set point in the second set tie-breaker.

But the 23-year-old reeled off a series of spectacular winners to square the match then broke Ljubicic's resistance when he won the third set in a tie-breaker.

It has been 81 years since a Frenchman won the Australian Open men's singles titles but Tsonga, who was runner-up 12 months ago, is not the only one in contention in 2009.

Five Frenchman are through to the third round this time. Fabrice Santoro, the oldest man in the tournament, won on Wednesday, while Gilles Simon, Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils joined Tsonga in the last 32.

Simon booked his place in the third round with a 6-7 6-4 6-1 6-2 win over Chris Guccione, the last local player in the men's singles draw.

Guccione, a giant lefthander standing 20 centimetres taller than Simon, won the opening set in a tie-breaker but struggled for the rest of the match once the Frenchman succeeded in blunting his booming serve.

Simon, seeded sixth for the first Grand Slam of the year, has made huge strides in world tennis over the last 12 months, reaching a career-high ranking of six.

However he has never made it past the third round of a Slam. He faces Croatia's Mario Ancic on Saturday.

Gasquet beat Uzbek Denis Istomin 6-3 6-4 6-4 and Monfils defeated Austrian Stefan Koubek 6-4 6-4 3-6 6-2.

However Arnaud Clement, a finalist in Australia in 2001, was beaten as was Sebastien De Chaunac.

American James Blake eased into the third round after beating qualifier de Chaunac in a match marred by persistent crowd noise.

One fan, who had constantly harassed de Chaunac throughout the final set, was escorted away by security staff just before the ninth-seeded Blake served out for the 6-3 6-2 6-3 victory on Margaret Court Arena.

De Chaunac had also questioned several line calls and was visibly agitated by the disturbances.

Chilean 13th seed Fernando Gonzalez sped past Argentina's Guillermo Canas 7-5 6-3 6-4.

The 2007 finalist out-punched Canas in a tight first set before completing the win inside two hours and 19 minutes, setting up a clash with 24th seed Gasquet.

Australian Open - Women: Safina cruises through

2009-01-22T23:07:00.000-08:00

Third seed Dinara Safina effortlessly advanced into the fourth round of the Australian Open with an easy 6-2 6-2 victory over Estonia's Kaia Kanepi.

The third seed was joined in round four by fellow Russian Nadia Petrova. The 10th-seeded Petrova sauntered through in double-quick time when Galina Voskoboeva quit after losing the first set 6-1.

The Kazakhstan player retired with a back injury.

Safina exploited a poor service game from the 25th seed, who made just 40 percent of her first serves and had 28 unforced errors.

Safina was never really troubled in the match, with Kanepi unable to exert any pressure on the Russian's serve, and she sealed victory when the Estonian hit a forehand into the net to end the 66-minute match.

The world number three will meet the winner of the match later on Friday between 15th seed Alize Cornet of France or 19th seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.

Also into the fourth round is Russia's Vera Zvonareva, with the seventh seed playing scintilating tennis.

After a rare 'double bagel' rout of Edina Gallovits in the second round, she continued her impressive advance with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Italy's Sara Errani.

Australian Open - View from the courts: Day four

2009-01-22T23:04:00.000-08:00

Reaction from the key protagonists on a busy day of second-round action at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Amelie Mauresmo after downing British number three Elena Baltacha: "I'm expecting to play better and better as the tournament goes on. I'm definitely expecting a tougher match, tougher opponent in the next round. So I will have to step up and play some better tennis. It was again very difficult and quite windy. It was not so hot today, but definitely very windy."

Carla Suarez Navarro after pulling off the biggest upset of the tournament by beating Venus Williams: "I just went on court to try to be positive, to try to do my best. I never thought that I was going to lose. I was still thinking positive all match. You must be aggressive during all the match because, if not, she's going to take control of you."

Venus Williams was at a loss to explain her below-par performance: "She was super consistent and aggressive and just went for her shots. She took her opportunities and really showed a lot of character. We haven't quite figured out exactly which areas went wrong but I definitely have to credit her. I've seen her play before... but this was probably one of her best matches she's ever played, When you go out on the court, you've got to expect anything. Everyone here is professional, capable of playing great. She's obviously very talented. This is a great sport where you can choose your own destiny."

Serena Williams after beating Gisela Dulko in straight sets: "It was definitely a tough second set: she was just playing unbelievable and started hitting winners left and right. She had some opportunities, but I never felt like I was going to lose. I feel like I can play a lot better and hopefully I will. Today I was a 'D minus' - but it is good that I won."

Elena Dementieva after continuing her unbeaten run in 2009 against Iveta Benesova: "I'm not thinking about my chances (of victory). I'm really enjoying the way I'm playing right now and I just want to go as far as I can and enjoy every single match I play here."

Australia's Samantha Stosur on setting up a third-round meeting with Dementieva: "The third round of Grand Slam is never going to be easy. Elena is obviously a great player and she's been on great form. But I've got nothing to lose and I want to put on a good show for all the supporters out here."

Rafael Nadal, pleased with his straight-sets win over Roko Karanusic: "He played aggressively - it's not easy to play against someone who plays inside the court and hits big shots with the forehand. But I feel very comfortable here and I'm very happy with the victory: I won without any problems."

Gilles Simon on facing home favourite Chris Guccione: "I knew it would be hard (because) I prefer to play a player playing from the baseline,. I just knew (I had) to get (the ball) into the court. That's why, even when I lost the first set, I just tried to focus on what I had to do. But what is hard is to stay focused on every point because you can feel the frustration even during the match because there is the crowd for him. Every time he's serving an ace, 'Yeah, c'mon'. That's why I'm pretty happy to win, because I didn't take pleasure to play today. It was really hard."

Sebastien de Chaunac who asked chair umpire James Keothavong to 'tell the guy in pink to be quiet' in the third set of his match with James Blake: "I was getting ready to serve and he was talking to me, so I asked the umpire to tell him something. There was a big point at 4-2, 15-30 and it was probably my last chance to break James. We had had a really big rally and the guy was talking to me after every hit, saying 'come on, allez'. I could have won that point and of course when you lose a point you're in a bad mood so I told him in a bad way to 'shut up'. He was friendly. He was really into it. I didn't know if he was doing it on purpose or he just didn't realise it. He looked so happy to be out there. It was kind of an awkward situation, because you want to keep him on your side but you can't really talk in tennis between points."

James Blake said he had not been aware of the problem: "I didn't even notice him till he said it. We were going to wait for security but he said he didn't mind as long as I didn't mind when I was down that end. He was doing something that got under his skin. That can be very frustrating when it's just one person and you hear it constantly, especially when they're talking during a point. I just hope it was not intentional. People are entitled to have a few Heinekens but if they have one too many they may just forget how loud their voice can be."

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, one of four Frenchmen in round three: "We're very (good) friends. We had a lot of good times together in juniors. They are really good guys, so I appreciate to be with them. I tried to think positive and say, 'okay, I keep going, keep going all the time'. Today I was a little bit lucky. Tonight my back was very stiff but I won. I'm happy with that. I know I can play with (it)."

Fernando Gonzalez on third round opponent Richard Gasquet: "I've never played him, but I know he's a great player and it's going to be a tough match."

Aussie coach Roger Rasheed on the condition of female players: "I'm baffled that girls in sport, in tennis, can actually carry excess baggage. That means you're slower, your mind doesn't work as well, you can't recover off shots. It means you can't play the shots you want to play often enough against the better players - so you lose. (Casey Dellacqua) may have had some injuries, she's had a shoulder, but that doesn't actually stop you from getting into real tip-top shape."

Dellacqua's coach Nicole Pratt refuses to bite: "From a professional standpoint, I'd rather not answer back on that one."

Australian Open - Murray marches on

2009-01-22T23:01:00.000-08:00

Andy Murray took a swipe at his main rivals after underlining his Australian Open credentials with a crushing 6-4 6-2 6-2 win over Spain's Marcel Granollers in the second round.

The 21-year-old Briton maintained his unbeaten run this year, which includes winning two warm-up events in the Middle East, with a dominant performance to wrap up victory in one hour 50 minutes.

The world number four completely outclassed his former training partner but saved his best shots for three-times former winner Roger Federer and defending champion Novak Djokovic.

Both expressed their doubts about Murray's chances of winning the tournament, questioning why bookmakers would consider him the favourite for the title.

"They say there's a lot of pressure on them but then people aren't saying they're the favourites but they want to be the favourites," Murray said.

"Therefore, by saying they're the favourites, they're putting more pressure back on themselves. I don't really understand the whole thing."

Although he has not won a Grand Slam title, Murray has beaten Federer, Djokovic and world number one Rafael Nadal in the last year and made the US Open final.

"I think I've played well enough in the last six or seven months to be in that sort of group. Whether I'm the favourite or not, I don't know," Murray said.

"I said at the start of the tournament, Federer and Nadal have got the most experience and probably merit being favourites.

"But there's a reason why people think I have a chance to win here, because I played very well the last few months and won against them."

Murray was not at his absolute best but was still far too slick for Granollers, who he trained with in Spain when they were juniors.

With the centre court crowd still buzzing after watching Venus Williams upset by Carla Suarez Navarro, Murray provided a worthy encore, hitting 37 winners.

His will next take on Austrian Juergen Melzer.

"I was two points away from losing against him (Melzer) in the third round of the US Open (in 2008) and ended up winning in five sets," Murray said.

"He's a tough guy, a lefty, big server and never gives you too much rhythm, so if I want to win I'll have to play well."

Join Kia Fan of the Day

2009-01-22T22:57:00.000-08:00

As the major sponsor of the Australian Open, Kia Motors will look for the most conspicuous and enthusiastic fan in Melbourne Park through two sessions a day, one during the day and the one at night.

About Kia Fan of the Day

Every day, at the Day & Night session, Kia Fan of the Day

As the major sponsor of the Australian Open, Kia Motors will look for the most conspicuous and enthusiastic fan in Melbourne Park through two sessions a day, one during the day and the one at night.

Look out for the Kia Fan of the Day team! and get your photo taken for a chance to win great prizes. If you've dressed up for the tennis today you could be the Fan of the Day or even be voted the Kia Fan of the tournament.

The Fan of the Day team will be snapping photos at the Kia Trade Show in Garden Square at two o'clock and the daily winner will be Arena right after the first set of the last match in each session.

Visit www.australianopen.com for the Kia Fan of the Tournament!

All selected winners will be uploaded on Official website of Australian Open 2009 (www.australianopen.com) and the Kia Fan of the Australian Open 2009 will be selected via online poll. The top 3 Kia Fan of the Australian Open 2009 will be announced on 6th of February.

Great Prizes

For 25 Fan of the day winners, every winner will receive MP3 players and the grand prize for the overall winner &lsquoKia Fan of the Australian Open 2009' is LCD TV and the runner up and 3rd place will be digital camera and mobile phone. Kindly be advised that the prize can be replaced to other items due to circumstances beyond the control of Tennis Australia / Kia, Tennis Australia / Kia will substitute prize of equal or greater value.

About Kia Fan Photos

The fan photograph of the various features is everyday uploaded.

The Kia Fan Galleries competition, presented by Kia Motors, gives you the chance to

show your passion on Australian Open. All you need to do is log on and upload your personal photos related to Tennis - Kia Motors.

Try to feel the heat of global Tennis Fans from the Kia Fan Galleries!

Please upload your best moment with Tennis and Kia Motors and you will get chance

to win Kia grand prizes. The final winner will be announced on 6th of February. Give yourself the time you look around the worldwide Tennis Fans at the Kia Fan Galleries and join the competition.

Great prizes

The grand prize for the overall winner will be awarded a LCD TV. Kindly be advised that the prize can be replaced to other items due to circumstances beyond the control of Tennis Australia / Kia, Tennis Australia / Kia will substitute prize of equal or greater value.

Djokovic flying in Melbourne, Federer, Safin on collision course

2009-01-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Defending champion Novak Djokovic hit top gear in a sparkling Australian Open performance on Wednesday as former winners Roger Federer and Marat Safin set up the clash of the third round.

Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun produced the biggest shock so far as he ousted 10th seed David Nalbandian, while Spanish number two David Ferrer, Croatia's Marin Cilic and Czech player Tomas Berdych made it safely through.

was in irresistible form against Jeremy Chardy of France, winning 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 as he shrugged off an indifferent start to the year.

"I think I'm playing better and better every match, so this is really important. This is something that I planned to do," he said.

"If I keep the high level of performance and a good game, I will hopefully get far in the tournament."

Djokovic next faces Bosnian-born American Amer Delic, who appealed for local fans to keep a lid on simmering ethnic tensions between Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian fans.

Rival groups of fans taunted each other during Delic's match with France's Paul-Henri Mathieu, raising fears of a return of sectarian rioting which marred the last two editions.

"Today was bad when the other (fans) came across -- I'm just hoping with Novak that it doesn't turn into World War III," Delic said.

Meanwhile Federer, seeking a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam, turned on the style against qualifier Evgeny Korolev to set up a mouth-watering third-round clash with long-time foe .

The two former number ones, who have never played so early at a Grand Slam, have a memorable history here with Federer winning the 2004 final but being ousted in a classic semi by Safin a year later.

"We go way back. Him, of course, being a former number one, same as me, and a former Grand Slam champion, it's an intriguing match-up," Federer said.

"Back when he was really at his very best, we had similar personalities growing up. I sort of chilled out and he kept on going. But it was always a good match-up."

Federer has won their previous three meetings, including last year's Wimbledon semi-final, and holds a 9-2 record against the Russian.

Safin also said he was relishing Friday's clash, which promises to be the pick of the third round.

"Unfortunately I haven't won a lot of matches against him, but I'm looking forward to it," said the Russian, who beat Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.

"It's another chance. I have nothing to lose. I'm going to go for it -- whatever comes, comes."

Ferrer dismissed Slovakian veteran Dominik Hrbaty in straight sets, while Cilic's potential flashpoint match against Serbian Janko Tipsarevic passed off peacefully.

Tommy Robredo, Mardy Fish and Swiss number two Stanislas Wawrinka were the other seeds through.

American seventh seed Andy Roddick was playing Xavier Malisse and Australian sensation Bernard Tomic, 16, was taking centre stage for the day's late match with Luxembourg's Gilles Muller.

World number one Rafael Nadal is in the other half of the draw along with British hope Andy Murray.

Djokovic flying in Australian Open tennis

2009-01-21T20:00:00.001-08:00

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Defending champion Novak Djokovic hit top gear in a sparkling Australian Open performance on Wednesday as former winners Roger Federer and Marat Safin set up the clash of the third round.

Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun produced the biggest shock so far as he ousted 10th seed David Nalbandian, while Spanish number two David Ferrer, Croatia's Marin Cilic and Czech player Tomas Berdych made it safely through.

Djokovic was in irresistible form against Jeremy Chardy of France, winning 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 as he shrugged off an indifferent start to the year.

"I think I'm playing better and better every match, so this is really important. This is something that I planned to do," he said.

"If I keep the high level of performance and a good game, I will hopefully get far in the tournament."

Djokovic next faces Bosnian-born American Amer Delic, who appealed for local fans to keep a lid on simmering ethnic tensions between Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian fans.

Rival groups of fans taunted each other during Delic's match with France's Paul-Henri Mathieu, raising fears of a return of sectarian rioting which marred the last two editions.

"Today was bad when the other (fans) came across -- I'm just hoping with Novak that it doesn't turn into World War III," Delic said.

Meanwhile Federer, seeking a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam, turned on the style against qualifier Evgeny Korolev to set up a mouth-watering third-round clash with long-time foe Safin.

The two former number ones, who have never played so early at a Grand Slam, have a memorable history here with Federer winning the 2004 final but being ousted in a classic semi by Safin a year later.

"We go way back. Him, of course, being a former number one, same as me, and a former Grand Slam champion, it's an intriguing match-up," Federer said.

"Back when he was really at his very best, we had similar personalities growing up. I sort of chilled out and he kept on going. But it was always a good match-up."

Federer has won their previous three meetings, including last year's Wimbledon semi-final, and holds a 9-2 record against the Russian.

Safin also said he was relishing Friday's clash, which promises to be the pick of the third round.

"Unfortunately I haven't won a lot of matches against him, but I'm looking forward to it," said the Russian, who beat Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.

"It's another chance. I have nothing to lose. I'm going to go for it -- whatever comes, comes."

Ferrer dismissed Slovakian veteran Dominik Hrbaty in straight sets, while Cilic's potential flashpoint match against Serbian Janko Tipsarevic passed off peacefully.

Tommy Robredo, Mardy Fish and Swiss number two Stanislas Wawrinka were the other seeds through.

American seventh seed Andy Roddick was playing Xavier Malisse and Australian sensation Bernard Tomic, 16, was taking centre stage for the day's late match with Luxembourg's Gilles Muller.

World number one Rafael Nadal is in the other half of the draw along with British hope Andy Murray.

Australian Open - Women: Ivanovic does enough

2009-01-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

Fifth seed Ana Ivanovic produced another stuttering performance at the Australian Open but still managed to beat a dogged Alberta Brianti 6-3 6-2 in the second round.

Ivanovic, who also failed to dazzle in her victory over Julia Goerges on Monday, produced a similar effort on Rod Laver Arena to set up a third-round match with Russia's Alisa Kleybanova, who beat France's Stephanie Cohen-Aloro 6-1 3-6 6-2.

The 21-year-old Serb, beaten finalist at Melbourne Park last year, established an early lead and while Brianti dragged out the eighth game with eight deuces to hold serve, Ivanovic sealed the set on the next game.

Brianti was forced to take a medical time-out for treatment on a back injury after Ivanovic jumped out to a 3-0 second set lead and the break had the initial impact of helping her take the next two games.

However, Ivanovic wrestled back control of the contest to complete victory in 92 minutes.

World number three Dinara Safina recovered from a terrible start to beat fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-7 6-3 6-0.

Safina lost the opening set in a tie-break despite fighting her way back from 5-1 behind and was still struggling to impose herself on the match early in the second.

It was not until midway through the second set that Safina finally seized control, reeling off nine games in a row in an awesome demonstration of her ability.

Safina has never won a Grand Slam title but has emerged as one of the favourites for the Australian Open after reaching the finals of the French Open and the Olympics last year as well as cementing her place in the world's top five.

Next up for Safina is Estonian 25th seed Kaia Kanepi, who ended Austrian Patricia Mayr's hopes by advancing in straight sets.

Serbia's world number one Jelena Jankovic booked her place in the third round with a testing 6-4 7-5 win over Kirsten Flipkens .

The top seed was given a solid workout by her Belgian opponent before sealing victory in one hour and 46 minutes.

Jankovic, who is chasing her first Grand Slam title, will next face Japan's Ai Sugiyama on Friday, after the 26th seed recovered from a set down to beat Nathalie Dechy 1-6 6-1 6-3.

Russian seventh seed Vera Zvonareva produced a perfect 6-0 6-0 display against Edina Gallovits of Romania.

The 24-year-old won an incredible 91 percent of her first serves as she blew the hapless Gallovits off court in 46 minutes.

Another Russian to progress was 10th seed Nadia Petrova, who downed India's Sania Mirza 6-3 6-2.

In the night session, former world number four Jelena Dokic thrilled a seething mass of green and gold local fans by beating Russian 17th seed Anna Chakvetadze 6-4 6-7 6-3.

The Serbian-born Australian registered her first win over a player ranked in the top-20 for five years and her first victory on Melbourne Park's centre court for a decade.

Australian Open

2009-01-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

Australian Open - Live

Round 2Player

F Santoro 5 7 3 7 6
P Kohlschreiber 7 5 6 5 3
X Malisse 6 2 6 2 -
A Roddick 4 6 7 6 -
F Mayer 1 5 2 - -
J Del Potro 6 7 6 - -
J Dokic 6 6 6 - -
A Chakvetadze 4 7 3 - -

Australian Open - Results

Round 2 Player

R Gasquet 6 6 6 - -
D Istomin 3 4 4 - -
J Melzer 5 7 6 6 -
A Beck 7 6 4 3 -
G Simon 6 6 6 6 -
C Guccione 7 4 1 2 -
D Sela 6 6 6 - -
V Hanescu 3 3 2 - -
F Gonzalez 7 6 6 - -
G Canas 5 3 4 - -
S Williams 6 7 - - -
G Dulko 3 5 - - -
A Medina Garrigues 6 6 - - -
J Coin 1 4 - - -
K Bondarenko 7 7 - - -
L Dominguez Lino 5 5 - - -
A Mauresmo 4 6 6 - -
E Baltacha 6 3 2 - -
E Dementieva 6 6 - - -
I Benesova 4 1 - - -
J Zheng 7 5 6 - -
M Czink 6 7 3 - -
V Razzano 6 6 - - -
P Schnyder 3 1 - - -
D Cibulkova 6 6 - - -
Y Chan 0 2 - - -
M Martinez Sanchz 6 6 - - -
A Amanmuradova 2 4 - - -
G Muller 3 6 6 6 -
B Tomic 6 1 4 2 -
J Del Potro 6 7 6 - -
F Mayer 1 5 2 - -
A Roddick 4 6 7 6 -
X Malisse 6 2 6 2 -
M Baghdatis 3 7 6 6 -
R Soderling 6 5 3 3 -
S Wawrinka 6 6 6 - -
B Klein 3 4 4 - -
M Fish 6 6 7 - -
S Bolelli 4 1 5 - -
F Santoro 5 7 3 7 6
P Kohlschreiber 7 5 6 5 3
Y Lu 6 5 4 6 6
D Nalbandian 4 7 6 4 2
R Federer 6 6 6 - -
E Korolev 2 3 1 - -
J Dokic 6 6 6 - -
A Chakvetadze 4 7 3 - -
C Wozniacki 6 6 - - -
V Ruano Pascual 3 3 - - -
M Bartoli 7 6 - - -
T Pironkova 5 2 - - -

Australian Open - Men: Simon safely through

2009-01-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

Frenchman Gilles Simon booked his place in the third round of the Australian Open with a 6-7 6-4 6-1 6-2 win over Chris Guccione, the last local player in the men's singles draw.

Guccione, a giant lefthander standing 20 centimetres taller than Simon, won the opening set in a tiebreaker but struggled for the rest of the match once the Frenchman succeeded in blunting his booming serve.

Simon, seeded sixth for the first Grand Slam of the year, has made huge strides in world tennis over the last 12 months, reaching a career-high ranking of six.

However he has never made it past the third round of a Slam.

Australian Open - Women: Dementieva extends streak

2009-01-21T19:54:00.000-08:00

Elena Dementieva extended her winning streak to 12 matches with a comfortable 6-4 6-1 victory over Iveta Benesova in the Australian Open second round in Melbourne.

Dementieva, who is unbeaten in 2009 after claiming the Auckland and Sydney titles, said after her first-round victory over Kristina Barrois that her run of matches had made her a little fatigued and affected her performance.

The world number four made 23 unforced errors and served five double faults on the second show court but was still too strong for the world number 35, wrapping up the match in 72 minutes.

The Beijing Olympics gold medallist overpowered Benesova with 20 clear winners to the Czech's seven and will meet either Australia's Samantha Stosur or Germany's Sabine Lisicki, who play later on Thursday, in the third round.

Australian Open - Wade: Nalbandian peaked early

2009-01-21T19:52:00.000-08:00

Former Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade has said that the highest seed to go out of the Australian Open, Argentine star David Nalbandian, was a victim of peaking too early.

Join Peter Fleming, Annabel Croft and Virginia Wade in the studio for more live coverage from Melbourne on Wednesday. Watch the action on British Eurosport - available in the UK on Sky channel 410 and Virgin Media channel 521 - from 8.15am.

The 10th seed, ranked 11 in the world, lost in five sets to number 61 Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei in the second round in Melbourne.

It is the first time Lu has reached the third round of a Grand Slam.

"When I heard that Nalbandian won the pre-Open Sydney tournament I feared for him: the top players always have reservations about going full pelt at a tournament in the week before," Wade told Eurosport.

"You want to get enough matches in the build-up, but not waste your emotional energy.

"It was the first time I've watched Lu play, but boy did he serve well out to the left court.

"You get so used to seeing Nalbandian struggle in long matches, but finding a way to get through, that it was a surprise when he went out."

Former British number one Greg Rusedski said that Lu will have to play brilliantly again to get past his next opponent Tommy Robredo.

"It's a shock because Nalbandian was playing well prior to this event and looking confident - he will be very disappointed," he said. "Let's give credit to the winner though: he took it on, was aggressive and flashy, and now he's in the top 50 - so well done.

"The Eastern press are looking for Asian players to come through so he'll have a lot of support. Nalbandian was up two sets to one and this guy looks like the real deal coming through to win in five sets.

"He's going to have to play as well as he did against Nalbandian to get through because Robredo is that little bit more solid; he will need to come forward and attack."

The most mouth-watering match-up of the third round is undoubtedly world number two Roger Federer against giant Russian Marat Safin, who saved match point against the Swiss in the semi-finals in 2005 on his way to the title.

Federer downed Evgeny Korolev easily in the second round.

"Federer lost concentration in his first-round match, but this one was an impressive performance in straight sets," Rusedski said.

"He did what he had to: he knows he's got a difficult opponent coming up in the third round."

Rusedski is not convinced that Andy Roddick can challenge for the title in Australia, but believes the American could get to the semi-finals.

"He could get to the semi possibly because Novak Djokovic is not playing so well and they are set to meet in the quarters," he continued.

"I'd like to see Roddick on top of that baseline like Jimmy Connors got him doing, taking that backhand earlier. He's lost a little bit of pace on his serve after his shoulder problems last summer.

"I think Fabrice Santoro ran out of gas after his mammoth match: I don't think there'll be any problems for Andy Roddick."

Wade warned that Santoro may not be such a pushover.

"His next match will be great because Fabrice Santoro is so fascinating: watching the guy on the other side of the net becoming so completely befuddled by him (especially)," she said.

"That's what happened to Philipp Kohlschreiber: we know what a good player he is, but he couldn't find an answer to Santoro.

"Roddick still struggles when he gets to the net: he's so anxious to get there he's got his chest out in front and that makes him react slowly to the ball."

Wade also expressed concerns about Ana Ivanovic, who beat Alberta Brianti to set up a third-round clash with Alisa Kleybanova.

"Ana is building it up but still has a long way to go in her own mind before she feels she is at the level she was last year - when she played so well and won the French," Wade opined.

"If anything starts to go wrong, she shatters; and she's got a tough draw there."

Australian Open - Men: Federer sets up Safin clash

2009-01-21T19:51:00.000-08:00

Roger Federer set up a juicy third-round clash with former Australian Open champion Marat Safin after finally subduing a stubborn Evgeny Korolev 6-2 6-3 6-1.

Federer, who is seeking to equal Pete Sampras's record of 14 Grand Slam wins with his fourth at Melbourne Park, was more than matched by the Russian qualifier in the opening two sets before romping away with the third.

The 27-year-old Federer enthralled the crowd packed into Rod Laver Arena with some audacious shot-making but Korolev also joined in and his wristy racquet work provided some anxious moments for the world number two.

The last time Federer met Safin at the Australian Open, the big Russian won a mammoth five-set semi-final and went on to claim the title.

Former champion Safin, in what could be his last Australian Open after indicating he was close to quitting the sport, downed Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5 6-2 6-2.

Champion Novak Djokovic also eased into the third round with a 7-5 6-1 6-3 demolition of France's Jeremy Chardy.

The 21-year-old Serb struggled initially against Chardy in an even first set, breaking just once in the 12th game, before he romped away with the second and third.

After failing to send the opener to a tie-break, Chardy's game fell apart in the second set and the Frenchman managed to win just seven points, two of which were on Djokovic's serve.

The world number three continued his domination in the deciding set, romping into a 4-0 lead before his 21-year-old opponent got on the scoreboard.

Chardy briefly raised hopes of a recovery by breaking Djokovic when serving for the match, but he was unable to stop the third seed's march into the next round.

Argentina's David Nalbandian became the highest-ranked men's player to be knocked out when he was beaten 6-4 5-7 4-6 6-4 6-2 by Taiwan's Lu Yen-hsun.

The 10th-seeded Nalbandian squandered six break point opportunities in the final game before Lu produced a winning forehand to seal the victory in three hours and 55 minutes.

The victory moved Lu into the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time and he will meet Spain's Tommy Robredo, who thrashed Serbia's Viktor Troicki 6-1 6-3 6-0.

American Andy Roddick eased his way into the third round with a 4-6 6-2 7-6 6-2 win over Belgian qualifier Xavier Malisse.

Roddick, seeded seventh, began slowly but seized control of the match when he won the third set tie-break.

Roddick has made the semi-finals of the Australian Open three times but has never made it to the final. He will next face Fabrice Santoro after the 36-year-old Frenchman beat Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in five sets.

Spanish 11th seed David Ferrer was the first man through, thrashing Slovakian veteran Dominik Hrbaty 6-2 6-2 6-1.

It was an impressive recovery from Ferrer who endured a four-hour ordeal in his opening match in furnace-like conditions on Monday.

Security was called during a match as Bosnian-born American Amer Delic overcame Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in five sets.

It was deemed necessary after a group of Serbian fans turned up and began taunting Delic's supporters.

The potential powderkeg clash between Marin Cilic and Janko Tipsarevic passed off largely trouble-free as Serb Tipsarevic went down to the big-serving Croat 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-3.

Australian Open - Baltacha scares Mauresmo

2009-01-21T19:50:00.000-08:00

Briton Elena Baltacha threatened to dump out 2006 Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo before succumbing 4-6 6-3 6-2 in the second round in Melbourne.

The British number three gave the former world number one a scare with an accomplished first set taken 6-4, although there were signs that she was unable to close out games at key points.

After an immediate break from Mauresmo, Baltacha hit straight back by earning three break points, converting the last of them.

Mauresmo gave up another break with a double fault but came from 30-0 down at 5-3 to remain in the set; however Baltacha won the set in style, dropping a wonderful winner from deep that left her rival standing.

Frenchwoman Mauresmo was struggling on her serve and made many errors, but was more willing to come into the net and volley than Ukraine-born Baltacha.

She preferred to stay on the baseline, and paid for it in the second set when a break in the first game proved too much, the remainder of the set going with serve until the final game.

On several occasions Baltacha moved ahead on her opponent's service, but seemed to freeze at the crucial moment; she eventually rolled over on her serve at the last to go down 6-3.

A stunning pass from the baseline put Baltacha a break up in the deciding set in the first game, but she allowed Mauresmo back into it after throwing away four game points on her serve to level the scores at two games apiece.

Baltacha's confidence drained from that moment. Another break followed as she lost 15 points from 16 until the final game.

From 0-30 down the Brit fought briefly to remain in the match, but an error saw 20 seed Mauresmo earn a place opposite Tathiana Garbin or 13 seed Victoria Azarenka in the third round.

Australian Open - View from the courts: Day three

2009-01-21T19:47:00.000-08:00

A round-up of what all the key players said after the third day of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Novak Djokovic: "(Andy Murray) has done a lot in the last couple of months: he's a very talented player and we can expect him to win some Grand Slams in the future. But you cannot put him as the favourite next to Roger (Federer) and Rafa (Rafael Nadal) and myself here at the Australian Open. It's flattering when people name me as a candidate for the top spots in men's tennis. On the other hand, you get expectations and certain pressures with this role."

Marat Safin: "I'm looking forward (to the match with Roger Federer). I have nothing to worry about. I'm going to play my match. We know each other pretty well. He knows how to play against me; I know how to play against him. Unfortunately I didn't win a lot of matches against him, but I'm looking forward. It's another chance. I have nothing to lose. I'm going to go for it. Whatever comes, comes."

Roger Federer: "We go way back. Him, of course, being a former number one, same as me, and a former Grand Slam champion, it's an intriguing match-up. Back when he was really at his very best, we had similar personalities growing up. I sort of chilled out and he kept on going. But it was always a good match-up."

David Nalbandian: "I don't think I played bad, but every set I was starting a break down and had to fight from a break down and come back. He played, I don't know if it was perfect, but he played at a very good level. I was still a break down. At the time I was a double break down. You never know. Things can happen. If I had broken in that moment we were still in the fight and you never know."

Lu Yen-hsun: "I was really struggling with my body and I was starting to have some problems with my legs. Everybody thinks Nalbandian is (one of) the best backhand players (and) I just guessed he would be ready for his forehand returns, so I changed my mind and said, 'okay, I go to his backhand all the time'. I'm 61 in the world and I have no pressure. I just (went) on the court and played my game. Really, for me, it's big step to be the third round in a Grand Slam .... I'm really happy."

Andy Roddick: "Things didn't quite go my way in the first set. He came up with some good shots and then I kind of just stayed the course and was able to make some adjustments to get through it. He came out with a good game plan and he was just going to fire. I was leaving some forehands hanging to him and he was taking advantage. I got my teeth back into the match and was able to kind of make it a little bit of a war out there, so it was good to get through that."

Ana Ivanovic: "There are still some areas I have to work on and improve. As you progress through the tournament you come up against tougher opponents, so you automatically raise your level. I think I still have to work a little bit on my serve. It was much better today, but it's still something I need to improve. I know there is still lots of room for improvement. So that gives me confidence."

Dinara Safina: "After I lost the first set, I really played my game. I really stepped in and I was going for my shots. I think I played a good match today. I had a slow start. I think I played poorly until 5-1, I didn't do anything. I was waiting for her mistakes. I played a poor tiebreak but once I lost it, I was like, 'if I don't change, I'll go home.' Whenever I'm passive, I lose. That's what happens every time. Without going for the shots, without risk, you're never going to be successful."

Jelena Jankovic: "It was a tough match for me. (Kirsten Flipkens) had nothing to lose so she could go out there and really swing freely. She played really well and I had to hang in there and find my way to get through the match. It's normal, it goes with your success. If you want to be number one you have to deal with this, it's the way it is so I don't complain. This is the bad part. I have to go out there expecting that opponents are really going to try their best and go out there and play with no pressure."

Jelena Dokic: "I was very nervous to be on centre court again. It's been a long time. She had a slow start but she started to play really well in that second set. She really had the momentum. It's amazing I was able to come out and pull it out. I'm fighting and playing for this country. I'm proud to play for this country again and I think by the reaction tonight... things have swung my way."

Australian Open - Men: Nadal thrashes Rochus

2009-01-20T22:25:00.000-08:00

World number one Rafael Nadal provided an ominous demonstration of his Australian Open intentions by crushing Christophe Rochus of Belgium 6-0 6-2 6-2.

The Spaniard could hardly have been more impressive as he raced to victory in 77 minutes for the loss of just four games.

Nadal, whose best performance at the Australian Open was when he reached the semi-finals last year, faces Roko Karanusic of Croatia in the next round.

Lleyton Hewitt was bundled out after losing against Chile's Fernando Gonzalez 5-7 6-2 6-2 3-6 6-3.

It was Hewitt's first opening-round defeat at the Australian Open since 2002, when he was struck down by chickenpox.

The Australian, a finalist at Melbourne Park four years ago, slipped down the rankings last year after undergoing hip surgery and only returned to competition this month.

Gonzalez, who made the Australian Open final in 2007, looked to have the match under control when he won the second and third sets but started to tire the longer the match went on and needed a medical time-out in the deciding fifth set.

Last year's runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame a patchy first set to thrash Argentine Juan Monaco 6-4 6-4 6-0 and advance to the second round.

Tsonga was broken once in the first set by the world number 49, although Monaco was broken twice himself and saved one other opportunity before the Frenchman won the set in 40 minutes.

The second set followed a similar pattern before world number seven Tsonga ran away with the third set.

Tsonga converted all three of his break opportunities in the final set and sealed the match when he served to love to set up a second-round clash with Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic.

American James Blake overcame dogged resistance from Canadian qualifier Frank Dancevic while seventh seed Gilles Simon, Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils completed a good day for the French.

Radek Stepanek, Ivo Karlovic, Igor Andreev and Nicolas Almagro were the other seeds through along with Jurgen Melzer , who killed off Japanese prodigy Kei Nishikori.

Australian Open - Rusedski: Murray can beat Nadal

2009-01-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

Former British number one Greg Rusedski believes Andy Murray has the all-round game to beat Rafael Nadal if the pair meet in the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

Join Greg Rusedski, Annabel Croft and Virginia Wade in the studio for more live coverage from Melbourne on Wednesday. Watch the action on British Eurosport - available in the UK on Sky channel 410 and Virgin Media channel 521 - from 8.15am

Nadal swept aside unseeded Christophe Rochus 6-0 6-2 6-2 in a one-sided first-round clash on Tuesday, with a dominant display that had the Eurosport experts drooling.

"Rochus tried to play Nadal's game, but he didn't have the same power or movement, and when that happens you're in a lot of trouble," Rusedski said.

"Nadal's movement was excellent and I was very impressed with his serve. He had a lot of aces and his placement was excellent."

Three-times Grand Slam winner Virginia Wade agreed: "Nadal is so obsessive, he never makes any mistakes.

"His serve was awesome. He takes a match like this and concentrates on every point as if it was a final."

If Nadal progresses to the semi-final stage as expected he could face world number four Murray - who came through his first-round match against Andrei Pavel when the Romanian retired injured, trailing 6-2 3-1.

Murray and Nadal have met six times, with Nadal leading 5-1. Their most recent match-up was in the semi-finals of the US Open, however, where Murray triumphed on the hard court.

Rusedski believes the Scot can repeat that landmark victory in Melbourne.

"Murray can come forward and stop Nadal getting his rhythm," Rusedski said.

"He has a full game and he's hitting his first service very well. If Murray and Nadal meet in the semis I'm predicting a Murray-Roger Federer final."

Williams sisters looking ominous at Australian Open

2009-01-20T22:22:00.000-08:00

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Serena and Venus Williams looked in ominous form as they powered through the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday, but Russia's Elena Dementieva struggled against an unheralded opponent.

Serena overpowered China's Meng Yuan 6-3, 6-2 while older sister Venus downed Germany's Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-3.

However Dementieva, who crushed Serena at last week's Sydney International, was forced to fight for two hours before finally seeing off German Kristina Barrois.

Dementieva said she feared her Australian Open dream was evaporating in the Melbourne Park heat before she ground out the 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-1 win.

The in-form Russian won titles in Auckland and Sydney leading into the Open, but found herself struggling against Barrois' aggression.

Playing on the same court where she tumbled from the tournament's opening round in 2006, the 27-year-old feared history was set to repeat against the unseeded German.

"I was thinking 'Oh, no, it's going to happen again'," she said.

"I think she played really well. She had nothing to lose and was really going for the shot, making some winners and great serve. It was a really tough match to play.

"I'm just happy to survive."

There were no such problems for Serena and Venus, who could well meet in the semi-finals.

Serena is looking for her 10th major crown and her fourth in Melbourne, following wins here in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

Forgoing her usual flashy outfits for a nondescript dark blue number, the American powered past Meng in just 75 minutes.

"I think I hit some pretty solid shots, sometimes I even went for some shots just to try something different," she said, downplaying the effect of the heat.

"There wasn't so much humidity out there, the dry heat is actually better than the humidity. But it was definitely extreme conditions."

Venus, who has yet to lift the Melbourne title, was untroubled by Kerber.

"I'm feeling the best that I can and I'm glad to be in the second round," she said.

Standing in the way of a possible Williams semi-final are Dementieva, in the same part of the draw as Venus, and Svetlana Kuznetsova, who battled for 100 minutes before downing Australia's Anastasia Rodionova.

The eighth seeded Russian, in Serena's quarter of the draw, beat the Australian 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Also moving through were 13th seeded Belaursian Victoria Azarenka, an easy 6-2, 6-1 winner over Petra Kvitova and China's unseeded Peng Shuai, who sent Italian 28th seed Francesca Schiavone packing.

Wimbledon semi-finalist Zheng Jie beat France's Camille Pin, while former Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo eased to a 6-4, 6-3 win over Olga Govortsova.

The biggest casualty so far came when ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska tumbled out at the hands of Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenka.

The Pole, a quarter-finalist here last year, lost 7-6 (9/7), 4-6, 6-1.

Australian Open - Men: Champion Djokovic impresses

2009-01-20T22:21:00.000-08:00

Champion Novak Djokovic eased into the third round of the Australian Open with a 7-5 6-1 6-3 demolition of France's Jeremy Chardy.

The 21-year-old Serb struggled initially against Chardy in an even first set, breaking just once in the 12th game, before he romped away with the second and third.

After failing to send the opener to a tiebreak, Chardy's game felt apart in the second set and the Frenchman managed to win just seven points, two of which were on Djokovic's serve.

The world number three continued his domination in the deciding set, romping to a 4-0 lead before his 21-year-old opponent got on the scoreboard.

Chardy briefly raised hopes of a recovery by breaking Djokovic when he was serving for the match, but he was unable to stop the third seed's march into the next round.

Australian Open - View from the courts: Day two

2009-01-20T22:20:00.001-08:00

A round-up of what all the key players said after the second day of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Lleyton Hewitt: "I'll probably look back at it in a couple of days' time, look at where I could have improved and whatever. But in hindsight, when you haven't had the matches, haven't played five sets for quite a while, you're always going to be fighting it a little bit. He's a tough player to play against for anyone, even the best guys like Roger (Federer), Rafa (Nadal), purely because he wants to play on his terms. He's always gonna be the guy trying to dictate play. If he's able to dictate play, then he's extremely tough to beat."

Rafael Nadal: "I played well, moving the ball very well around the court. The only thing you think is 'win'. It was quick so that was better. I'm just trying to improve and be humble because every match is different. I'm very happy because I'm over the injury and at one of the greatest tournaments in the world."

James Blake: "You can't get a much more exciting three-setter. It was a little too exciting but he played some great tennis."

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: "I try to play my best every time. I just try to be as good as I can be I played without pain. So it was a nice match. That's it."

Kei Nishikori: "No, I didn't have any pressure because, of course, he's good and he's seeded. I just didn't play well today,"

Venus Williams: "I think she played well. She was left handed and I think she used that to her advantage. She definitely started to play really well. I was really happy to be able to be out there and hit a lot of balls and find a rhythm and advance. She was going for a lot in those first five games, a lot really fast, trying to hit winners, great shots. I think she started to get a few more in play. At 5-3, I still feel extremely confident because I'm serving. It's what I want to do, is serve it out. So I felt comfortable."

Elena Dementieva: "I think it was a very tough match, especially because of the weather conditions. And it was not easy for me to come here after playing so many matches in a row. I'm sure I wouldn't have minded one or two extra days (off). But those are days you have to survive. I'm just very glad I was able to do it."

Serena Williams: "It was a little hot for me today but I was able to just take my time and play a lot slower, not giving 1,000 per cent. It was pretty important for me not to go crazy out there; to try and conserve some energy. One year I went crazy. A couple years I went completely crazy. So hopefully I'll be able to stay focused this year."

Australian Open - View from the courts: Day three

2009-01-20T22:16:00.000-08:00

A round-up of what all the key players said after the third day of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Ana Ivanovic: "There are still some areas I have to work on and improve. As you progress through the tournament you come up against tougher opponents, so you automatically raise your level. I think I still have to work a little bit on my serve. It was much better today, but it's still something I need to improve. I know there is still lots of room for improvement. So that gives me confidence."

Dinara Safina: "After I lost the first set, I really played my game. I really stepped in and I was going for my shots. I think I played a good match today. I had a slow start. I think I played poorly until 5-1, I didn't do anything. I was waiting for her mistakes. I played a poor tiebreak but once I lost it, I was like, 'if I don't change, I'll go home.' Whenever I'm passive, I lose. That's what happens every time. Without going for the shots, without risk, you never gonna be successful."

Australian Open - Women: Easy for Williams sisters

2009-01-20T22:15:00.000-08:00

American Serena Williams made a bright start to her Australian Open campaign with a 6-3 6-2 win over China's Yuan Meng.

Williams cruised to victory in 75 minutes, proving too good for Yuan despite making 31 unforced errors in the match.

Williams won the Australian Open in 2003, 2005 and 2007 and is seeded second for this year's event.

Venus Williams joined her younger sister in the second round after an enigmatic 6-3 6-3 victory over Germany's Angelique Kerber .

Sixth seed Venus, who is still seeking her first title at Melbourne Park despite having five Wimbledon and two US Open titles, raced to a 5-0 first-set lead against the world number 100, who then won the next three games and saved a set point.

The 28-year-old Williams, however, snapped out of her funk to hold serve and take the first set before Kerber put up a tougher challenge in the second, having two opportunities on serve to take a 4-1 lead.

Williams again responded to level at 3-3 and broke to take a 4-3 lead, at which point Kerber sought treatment on her heavily strapped right knee.

The injury break only delayed the inevitable and the world number six steamrolled to victory by holding serve and breaking to love to seal the win in 80 minutes.

World number four Elena Dementieva survived the scorching heat and a feisty counter-attack from Germany's Kristina Barrois to advance to the second round.

Dementieva, who is unbeaten so far this year after claiming titles in Auckland and Sydney, extended her winning streak to 11 matches with the 7-6 2-6 6-1 victory.

Barrois had run riot in the second set then held two break points in the first game of the third with an opportunity to upset the Beijing Olympic champion, before the Russian rallied in temperatures pushing 40 degrees Celsius.

Dementieva will next meet Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic.

Standing in the way of a possible Williams semi-final are Dementieva, in the same part of the draw as Venus, and Svetlana Kuznetsova, who battled for 100 minutes before downing Australia's Anastasia Rodionova.

The eighth seeded Russian, in Serena's quarter of the draw, beat the Australian 6-2 3-6 6-3.

Polish ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska was an early casualty, however, falling 7-6 4-6 6-1 to Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko.

Other players to progress included 13th seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, while China's unseeded Peng Shuai sent Italian 28th seed Francesca Schiavone packing. Wimbledon semi-finalist Zheng Jie beat France's Camille Pin.

Amelie Mauresmo, the champion in 2006, showed no signs of the thigh strain that forced her out of the Brisbane International in her 6-4 6-3 win over Olga Govortsova.

Australian Open Round2

2009-01-20T22:11:00.000-08:00

Australian Open - Live

Round 2Player
Y Lu 6 4 - - -
D Nalbandian 4 4 - - -
R Federer 6 6 6 - -
E Korolev 2 3 1 - -
S Wawrinka 6 6 6 - -
B Klein 3 4 4 - -
N Petrova 6 6 - - -
S Mirza 3 2 - - -
L Safarova 6 3 9 - -
M Erakovic 1 6 7 - -
M Bartoli 7 0 - - -
T Pironkova 5 0 - - -
V Ruano Pascual 3 3 - - -
C Wozniacki 6 4 - - -

Australian Open - Results

Round 2 Player
S Wawrinka 6 6 6 - -
B Klein 3 4 4 - -
R Federer 6 6 6 - -
E Korolev 2 3 1 - -
N Djokovic 7 6 6 - -
J Chardy 5 1 3 - -
T Berdych 6 6 6 - -
B Dabul 1 1 3 - -
A Delic 1 3 6 7 9
P Mathieu 6 6 3 6 7
M Safin 7 6 6 - -
G Garcia-Lopez 5 2 2 - -
D Ferrer 6 6 6 - -
D Hrbaty 2 2 1 - -
M Cilic 6 6 4 6 -
J Tipsarevic 2 3 6 3 -
V Zvonareva 6 6 - - -
E Gallovits 0 0 - - -
S Earrani 6 6 - - -
M Niculescu 2 3 - - -
L Safarova 6 3 9 - -
M Erakovic 1 6 7 - -
A Cornet 6 6 - - -
A Petkovic 1 0 - - -
D Hantuchova 6 4 6 - -
M Johansson 3 6 3 - -
J Jankovic 6 7 - - -
K Flipkens 4 5 - - -
A Kleybanova 6 3 6 - -
S Cohen-Aloro 1 6 2 - -
A Ivanovic 6 6 - - -
A Brianti 3 2 - - -
A Sugiyama 1 6 6 - -
N Dechy 6 1 3 - -
G Voskoboeva 6 6 - - -
K Knapp 4 1 - - -
D Safina 6 6 6 - -
E Makarova 7 3 0 - -
R Nadal 6 6 6 - -
C Rochus 0 2 2 - -
F Cipolla 4 6 7 7 -
D Tursunov 6 2 6 5 -
J Blake 6 6 7 - -
F Dancevic 4 3 5 - -
R Karanubic 6 1 6 3 6
F Serra 3 6 3 6 3
F Pennetta 6 5 6 - -
M Santangelo 2 7 2 - -
S Stosur 7 7 - - -
K Koukalova 6 6 - - -
J Coin 6 4 6 - -
E Vesnina 4 6 1 - -
T Robredo 6 6 6 - -
V Troicki 1 3 0 - -
K Kanepi 6 6 - - -
P Mayr 3 1 - - -

Ivanovic, Safina and brother Marat hit form at Australian Open

2009-01-20T22:08:00.000-08:00

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Dinara Safina and her brother Marat Safin showed glimpses of their best form as they marched into the Australian Open third round along with Serbian pin-up Ana Ivanovic.

Third seed Safina recovered from a slow start to dominate fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-0 while fifth seed Ivanovic overcame early nerves to crush Alberta Brianti of Italy 6-3, 6-2.

The two women, who could meet in the last eight, were joined in the next round by 10th seed Nadia Petrova, a quarter-finalist here in 2006, after she ended the comeback from injury of India's Sania Mirza.

Former champion Safin, in what could be his last Australian Open after indicating he was close to quitting the sport, downed Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.

It set up a mouthwatering potential third round clash with Roger Federer, who plays later Wednesday.

Spanish 11th seed David Ferrer was the first man through, thrashing Slovakian veteran Dominik Hrbaty 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.

t was an impressive recovery from Ferrer who endured a four-hour ordeal in his opening match in furnace-like conditions on Monday.

Safina has lost only once this year, to compatriot Elena Dementieva in the final of the Sydney International, and is in the tournament after a breakthrough 2008 in which she snared four titles plus Olympic silver.

"She played a very good match. She gave me a hard time," Safina admitted. "But when I lost the first set I raised my level and that's why I won quite easily after that.

"We don't know each other, I've never played her and I've never seen her play. That's maybe why I had to find out in the first set how to play her."

Next up for Safina is Estonian 25th seed Kaia Kanepi, who ended Austrian Patricia Mayr's hopes by advancing in straight sets.

Ivanovic made the final here last year where she lost to Maria Sharapova, but her late-season form in 2008 left plenty to be desired.

The 21-year-old though seems to be finding her groove in Melbourne, where she feels at home with family and friends living here. It helped her produce a convincing display against Brianti.

"I think I improved a lot since my first match and I'm very pleased with that," said the former world number one.

"But there are still some areas that I have to work on and improve on.

"As you progress through the tournament you come against tougher opponents, so you automatically raise your level. I think I still have to work a little bit on my serve."

With defending champion Novak Djokovic playing later Wednesday, Ferrer was the first man to get past the second round.

He said he was low on confidence after his draining clash with Gremelmayr but encountered little resistance from the 251st-ranked Hrbaty, who is continuing his recovery from major elbow surgery in late 2007.

World number one Rafael Nadal and Britain's Andy Murray are in action Thursday.

Among others progressing Wednesday was Japanese number one Ai Sugiyama, who bounced back after losing the opening set to topple France's Nathalie Dechy 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.

The veteran faces a likely third-round clash with world number one Jelena Jankovic.

Australian Open - Women: Ivanovic does enough

2009-01-20T22:06:00.000-08:00

Fifth seed Ana Ivanovic produced another stuttering performance at the Australian Open but still managed to beat a dogged Alberta Brianti 6-3 6-2 in the second round.

Ivanovic, who also failed to dazzle in her victory over Julia Goerges on Monday, produced a similar effort on Rod Laver Arena to set up a third-round match with Russia's Alisa Kleybanova, who beat France's Stephanie Cohen-Aloro 6-1 3-6 6-2.

The 21-year-old Serb, beaten finalist at Melbourne Park last year, established an early lead and while Brianti dragged out the eighth game with eight deuces to hold serve, Ivanovic sealed the set on the next game.

Brianti was forced to take a medical time out for treatment on a back injury after Ivanovic jumped out to a 3-0 second set lead and the break had the initial impact of helping her take the next two games.

However, Ivanovic wrestled back control of the contest to complete victory in 92 minutes.

World number three Dinara Safina recovered from a terrible start to beat fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-7 6-3 6-0.

Safina lost the opening set in a tiebreak despite fighting her way back from 5-1 behind and was still struggling to impose herself on the match early in the second.

It was not until midway through the second set that Safina finally seized control, reeling off nine game in a row in an awesome demonstration of her ability.

Safina has never won a Grand Slam title but has emerged as one of the favourites for the Australian Open after reaching the finals of the French Open and the Olympics last year as well as cementing her place in the world's top five.

Serbia's world number one Jelena Jankovic booked her place in the third round with a testing 6-4 7-5 win over Kirsten Flipkens .

The top seed was given a solid workout by her Belgian opponent before sealing victory in one hour and 46 minutes.

Jankovic, who is chasing her first Grand Slam title, will next face Japan's Ai Sugiyama on Friday, after the 26th seed recovered from a set down to beat Nathalie Dechy 1-6 6-1 6-3.