Former champions Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams eased into the third round of the Australian Open but tournament favourite Petra Kvitova's path was much less straight forward.
World number two Kvitova survived a second-set meltdown to overcome Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro and reach the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday.
Kvitova won the first set easily but grew visibly frustrated as she lost the second and had to come from a break down in the third to win 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
"I made many, many mistakes and I've got to improve, for sure," Kvitova said.
Five-time champion Serena Williams defeated Czech opponent Barbora Zahlavova Strycova racing through the first set but was pushed hard in the second before winning 6-0, 6-4 to move into the third round.
Sharapova, meanwhile, lost just one game as she dismantled US qualifier Jamie Hampton 6-0, 6-1 on Melbourne Park's centre court in just over an hour.
It followed an equally emphatic first round win over Argentina's Gisela Dulko by an identical scoreline, meaning the 2008 winner has dropped just two games so far.
Sharapova, 24, dominated Hampton in all areas, hitting 23 winners to six and making 77 per cent of her first serves to her opponent's 50 per cent.
"I didn't know much about my opponent so it was more a matter of getting my feet going and worrying more about myself and trying to improve from the first round," Sharapova said.
The Russian next faces Germany's Angelique Kerber, a 7-5, 6-1 winner over Canadian Stephanie Dubois.
Serbia's Ana Ivanovic and Vera Zvonereva also progressed in style but Brisbane International winner Kaia Kanepi was upset by Russian Ekaterina Makarova.
Zvonareva, who this time last year was ranked number two in the world, was almost as impressive as Sharapova as she downed Czech Lucie Hradecka in straight sets.
After racing through the first set, Zvonareva held off a spirited fight-back from Hradecka to win 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) and set up a third round clash with another Russian, Makarova.
Makarova upset the tournament's 25th seed Kanepi of Estonia, 6-2, 7-5.
Serbia's Ivanovic, whom Sharapova defeated in the 2008 final, reached the third round at Melbourne Park for the fifth time when she downed Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-3.
The former world number one lost in the first round last year but said she was in much better form 12 months down the track.
"I worked a lot on my game in the off-season," she said.
"When I'm out there I really know what I have to do and I stay with it.
"I'm more persistent and confident in that because I know that's what's going to give me results and help me to play better."
"It might not work on a given day and I try to adjust," she added. "In the long run, in the big picture, that's what's going to get me back to the top."
Italian Sara Errani ensured it was not all good news for the Russians when she upset 29th seed Nadia Petrova.
Petrova, who needed on-court treatment for a back injury, was no match for the 24-year-old from Bologna who won 6-2, 6-2.
AFP
Tags: sport, australian-open, tennis, melbourne-3000, vic, australia First posted January 19, 2012 12:21:37
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