Azarenka In Demolition Mood!
18 Jan 2013 2:12 AM GMT
Defending champion Victoria Azarenka romped into the Australian Open third round on Thursday with a comprehensive straight-sets thrashing of Greek Eleni Daniilidou.
The world number one Belarusian lost just one game in the 6-1, 6-0 demolition and will next play either American Jamie Hampton or Thai qualifier Luksika Kumkhum.
The victory keeps top-seeded Azarenka on course to meet former world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals as she defends her first Grand Slam title.
Third seed Serena Williams brushed aside any injury worries to sweep into the Australian Open third round on Thursday with a straight sets defeat of Garbine Muguruza.
The 15-time Grand Slam winner, gunning for a sixth Australian title, rolled her ankle on Tuesday but was moving freely in the 6-2, 6-0 defeat of the Spaniard.
Caroline Wozniacki too advanced beating Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-1, 6-4.
World No. 2 Roger Federer tossed aside old rival Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets to set up a third round showdown with brash young Australian Bernard Tomic at the Australian Open on Thursday.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion had few problems with the quirky, 40th-ranked Russian, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in 1hr 59min in a night match on Rod Laver Arena.
The win set up what should be the first tournament highlight on Saturday, in an intriguing match-up between the four-time Australian Open champion and the confident, 20-year-old Tomic.
‘It’s a similar situation to last year, it’s just a round earlier, I guess,’ Federer said, referring to last year’s straight-sets win over Tomic in the fourth round.
Andy Murray’s form matched the scorching temperatures as the British third seed powered into the Australian Open’s third round in straight sets on Thursday.
The reigning US Open champion conceded just eight games in putting away 100th-ranked Portguese Joao Sousa, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.
Murray will next play Lithuanian qualifier Ricardas Berankis, who was his practice partner when he won the lead-up Brisbane International a fortnight ago.
LAURA ROBSON STUNS KVITOVA
British teenager Laura Robson claimed another big Grand Slam scalp as she outlasted eighth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova 2-6, 6-3, 11-9 in a late-night thriller at the Australian Open. The 18-year-old Robson, who beat Kim Clijsters and Li Na at last year’s US Open, took advantage of 18 double faults from former Wimbledon champion Kvitova to reach the third round. “I knew it was going to be very, very tough and trying to return her serve in the first set was very, very hard,” 53rd-ranked Robson told the crowd.
The world number one Belarusian lost just one game in the 6-1, 6-0 demolition and will next play either American Jamie Hampton or Thai qualifier Luksika Kumkhum.
The victory keeps top-seeded Azarenka on course to meet former world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals as she defends her first Grand Slam title.
Third seed Serena Williams brushed aside any injury worries to sweep into the Australian Open third round on Thursday with a straight sets defeat of Garbine Muguruza.
The 15-time Grand Slam winner, gunning for a sixth Australian title, rolled her ankle on Tuesday but was moving freely in the 6-2, 6-0 defeat of the Spaniard.
Caroline Wozniacki too advanced beating Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-1, 6-4.
World No. 2 Roger Federer tossed aside old rival Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets to set up a third round showdown with brash young Australian Bernard Tomic at the Australian Open on Thursday.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion had few problems with the quirky, 40th-ranked Russian, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in 1hr 59min in a night match on Rod Laver Arena.
The win set up what should be the first tournament highlight on Saturday, in an intriguing match-up between the four-time Australian Open champion and the confident, 20-year-old Tomic.
‘It’s a similar situation to last year, it’s just a round earlier, I guess,’ Federer said, referring to last year’s straight-sets win over Tomic in the fourth round.
Andy Murray’s form matched the scorching temperatures as the British third seed powered into the Australian Open’s third round in straight sets on Thursday.
The reigning US Open champion conceded just eight games in putting away 100th-ranked Portguese Joao Sousa, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.
Murray will next play Lithuanian qualifier Ricardas Berankis, who was his practice partner when he won the lead-up Brisbane International a fortnight ago.
LAURA ROBSON STUNS KVITOVA
British teenager Laura Robson claimed another big Grand Slam scalp as she outlasted eighth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova 2-6, 6-3, 11-9 in a late-night thriller at the Australian Open. The 18-year-old Robson, who beat Kim Clijsters and Li Na at last year’s US Open, took advantage of 18 double faults from former Wimbledon champion Kvitova to reach the third round. “I knew it was going to be very, very tough and trying to return her serve in the first set was very, very hard,” 53rd-ranked Robson told the crowd.
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