Kuznetsova's class shines through

No. 3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia has sailed into the third round of Australian Open 2010, recording an easy win over countrywoman and world No. 39 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets on Wednesday.

A quarter-finalist here last year, Kuznetsova used the opening games to find her range. Once she found it, she never looked a loser, taking the second-round match 6-2 6-2 in just over an hour.

Both players dropped their serve at the beginning of the match, and serving became the deciding factor in the first set; Kuznetsova was broken again later in the set, but her less-experienced opponent was unable to hold serve until the second set.

On set point, Kuznetsova lost her balance and fell, but that did not stop her forehand down the line passing Pavlyuchenkova at the net to take the first set.

Pavlyuchenkova showed more fight in the second set, with a hold of serve in the first game giving her the confidence to dictate play. But Kuznetsova looked very comfortable in front of a modest Rod Laver Arena crowd, using the time between points to work on her football juggling skills.

Her tennis skills were also pretty good, with her cross-court backhand in particularly damaging form, but it was a fierce forehand winner that sealed the second set and the match.

Kuznetsova will play the winner between Aravane Rezai and Angelique Kerber in the third round.

Current Match on Rod Laver Arena Rod Laver Arena - Women's Singles - 2nd Round Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 2 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS (3) 6 6 Match Statistics Serve Statistics