Australian Open 2014: Serena Williams & Li Na into round three
Top seed Serena Williams progressed to the third round of the Australian Open as she eased to a straightforward victory against Vesna Dolonc.
Williams, a five-time winner in Melbourne, took just 63 minutes to beat her Serb opponent 6-1 6-2.
Fourth seed Li Na ended the hopes of 16-year-old Belinda Bencic in straight sets but 15th seed Sabine Lisicki lost to Monica Niculescu.
Seventh seed Tomas Berdych impressed in a three-set win over Kenny De Schepper.
The searing heat again caused problems for the players as the temperature reached 41.5C, marginally lower than the 42C recorded on Tuesday which prompted one player to describe the conditions as "inhumane"
Rod Laver Arena
Li (Chn) [4] beat Bencic (Swi) 6-0 7-6 (7-5)
Bencic, who has been described as "the new Martina Hingis" and is occasionally coached by the Swiss great's mother, appeared overawed early on as Li dominated from the start and took the first set without dropping a game.
The teenager put up more of a challenge in the second set, breaking serve twice to threaten an upset.
But on both occasions Li, a beaten finalist in Melbourne in 2011 and 2013, hit back instantly before winning the tie-break to ensure she remains on course for a third final appearance in Melbourne.
"It was a little bit warm out there," said Li. "But I am pretty happy. At least I won the match and am still in the tournament." Read Mroe....
Top seed Serena Williams progressed to the third round of the Australian Open as she eased to a straightforward victory against Vesna Dolonc.
Williams, a five-time winner in Melbourne, took just 63 minutes to beat her Serb opponent 6-1 6-2.
Fourth seed Li Na ended the hopes of 16-year-old Belinda Bencic in straight sets but 15th seed Sabine Lisicki lost to Monica Niculescu.
Seventh seed Tomas Berdych impressed in a three-set win over Kenny De Schepper.
The searing heat again caused problems for the players as the temperature reached 41.5C, marginally lower than the 42C recorded on Tuesday which prompted one player to describe the conditions as "inhumane"
Rod Laver Arena
Li (Chn) [4] beat Bencic (Swi) 6-0 7-6 (7-5)
Bencic, who has been described as "the new Martina Hingis" and is occasionally coached by the Swiss great's mother, appeared overawed early on as Li dominated from the start and took the first set without dropping a game.
The teenager put up more of a challenge in the second set, breaking serve twice to threaten an upset.
But on both occasions Li, a beaten finalist in Melbourne in 2011 and 2013, hit back instantly before winning the tie-break to ensure she remains on course for a third final appearance in Melbourne.
"It was a little bit warm out there," said Li. "But I am pretty happy. At least I won the match and am still in the tournament." Read Mroe....
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