SYDNEY: Serena Williams started her 2010 season in the same devastating fashion in which she ended 2009, thrashing Spain’s Marie Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-1, 6-2 in the second round of the Sydney International on Tuesday.
Playing her first match since beating older sister Venus in the final of last year’s Tour Championship, Williams showed why she remains the woman to beat at this month’s Australian Open with a powerful display.
The world No.1 was not at her absolute best after a two-month break and struggled with the scorching temperatures at the Olympic tennis center, but could not have been happier with her form leading into the first grand slam of the year.
Russia’s Dinara Safina, who lost last year’s Australian Open final to Williams, also opened her new season with a win but had to work much harder before toppling Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Russia’s defending champion Elena Dementieva beat Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchokova 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 while Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan 6-1, 5-7, 7-5, leaving four of the original eight seeds in the women’s draw.
The only high-profile casualty was Russia’s French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who was beaten 7-5, 6-2 by Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia.
“You can’t play your best every week,” Kuznetsova said.
“To play good here, it would be nice but it’s not such a bad thing.
“I’m definitely very worried about the match today and I have to improve and practice a lot before Australian Open, but that’s not the worse thing in the world.”
In Auckland, former champion Philipp Kohlschreiber made light work of his replacement first round opponent Inigo Cervantes-Huegun at the Auckland Open on Tuesday.
The German beat Cervantes-Huegun 6-2, 6-3 after the Spaniard was added to the field at the last minute when Argentine David Nalbandian pulled out injured.
Kohlschreiber, who won Auckland in 2008, plays Thomaz Bellucci in the second round after the Brazilian beat Marco Chiudinelli of Switzerland 6-3 6-3 on Monday.
Sebastien Grosjean, who has slumped in 675th in the world rankings after being plagued by shoulder problems, also benefitted from Nalbandian’s withdrawal.
The Frenchman accepted an offer of a wildcard and the former world number four responded by beating Germany’s Florian Mayer 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
