Ana Ivanovic wins her first round match

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia wins her first round match against Shenay Perry of US.

Inside the world of...Marin Cilic

World No.14 Marin Cilic will try to end the hopes of Australian young gun Bernard Tomic in the second round of Australian Open 2010 on Wednesday. Here, we ask him the tough questions.

If you were not a tennis player, what would you be?
You mean in the next life? A football player.

What music is on your iPod?
I don’t listen so much the iPod, but I listen to a mix, maybe hip hop and rock.

What is your favourite breakfast?
Bread with jam with and butter.

What is your favourite thing about the Australian Open?
A lot of people and a lot of different cultures mixed. A lot of fans!

What is your favourite movie?
Troy, Lord of the Rings and Braveheart.

What do you do to get away from tennis?
Sleep.

Do you have any lucky charms or superstitions?
Sometimes I use the same shower, but I don’t really believe in that stuff.

What website do you visit every day or keep updated with?
My mail and Croatian newspapers.

What’s your worst habit?
[thinking] My worst one … after practice, I like to sit on the court for another five or 10 minutes and pack up my stuff slowly. When I am travelling, I pack up quick.

Who would you most like to have over for dinner, dead or alive?
That’s a trick question! … Jessica Biel.

Fernando Verdasco during day two of Australian Open

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

Azarenka storms into second round

Women’s No.7 seed Victoria Azarenka has breezed past world No. 116 Stephanie Cohen-Aloro of France 6-2 6-0 to progress to the second round of Australian Open 2010.

Conceding only two games, the 20-year-old Belarusian was untroubled throughout the match, consistently winning the key points to dismantle the Frenchwoman in just 63 minutes.

Azarenka, who made the fourth round here last year before making quarter-final appearances at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, sent 23 winners past her opponent, allowing only five off the racquet of Cohen-Aloro.

The Frenchwoman struggled for consistency in the second set, with consecutive double-faults gifting Azarenka another break. From there, the favourite peeled off a number of winners to put the contest to rest, taking the set to love.

Azarenka entered her fifth Australian Open strongly, having reached the semi-final in Sydney last week before being defeated by eventual champion Elena Dementieva. She will now play the winner of Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland and Hungary’s Melinda Czink in the next round.

Current Match on Show Court 2 Show Court 2 - Women's Singles - 1st Round Stephanie Cohen-Aloro FRA 2 0 Victoria Azarenka BLR (7) 6 6 Match Statistics Serve Statistics

Federer forced to work in opener

Men’s top seed Roger Federer says he is happy with his first round performance at Australian Open 2010 despite a shaky start that saw him drop a set against Russia’s Igor Andreev at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.

The three-time Australian Open champion overcame a spirited challenge from Andreev to progress to the second round with a 4-6 6-2 7-6(2) 6-0 win.

Federer took two hours and 44 minutes to finally overcome a fighting effort from the world No. 37, but he said he was pleased with his match throughout.

“It was a tough match. I knew from the start it wasn’t going to be an easy one,” he said.

“But I reacted and I think I played a very good match.”

The world No. 1 looked strong early in the first set, breaking Andreev’s serve and racing out to a 3-1 lead.

However, Andreev, looking to emulate the efforts of girlfriend Maria Kirilenko and produce a massive upset at Melbourne Park after Kirilenko defeated Maria Sharapova on Monday, broke back and leveled the set at 3-3 before breaking Federer late in the set and holding to take it 6-4.

Federer’s frustration grew late in the first set, and sporadic errors on straightforward forehands had the Rod Laver Arena crowd sensing a possible upset.

The Swiss put those thoughts somewhat to rest in the second set, dominating Andreev and taking it 6-2 to even the match at 1-1.

Much of the centre court crowd probably expected that the third set would see Federer increase his dominance from the second and push on towards victory, but the Russian refused to allow Federer to run away with the match, and broke to lead 2-1 early in the set.

Federer broke straight back, and the Russian’s unreliable first service cost him dearly as Federer took a 5-3 lead and looked to close out the set.

Two service breaks in a row from Andreev sparked the crowd into life, and all of a sudden, the Russian was serving for the third set.

The 12th game of the set was a story of missed opportunities for Andreev, and it would be a crucial part of the match as he failed to capitalise on three set points.

Federer pounced and forced the tie-break, dominating it 7-2 before grabbing a 2-0 lead in the fourth set that could so easily have been Andreev’s.

The pressure told on Andreev in the fourth set, as Federer was untroubled in claiming it 6-0 to advance to the second round.

Federer admitted that the end of the third set was a key time in the match.

“It was just one of those moments where anything can happen ... after that, he may have just been that one step slower than he had been,” Federer said.

The top seed will now face Juan Ignacio Chela or Victor Hanescu in round two.

Current Match on Rod Laver Arena Rod Laver Arena - Men's Singles - 1st Round Roger Federer SUI (1) 4 6 77 6 Igor Andreev RUS 6 2 62 0 Match Statistics Serve Statistics

Jankovic slow to start, fast to finish

Former world No. 1 and eighth seed Jelena Jankovic has advanced to the second round of Australian Open 2010 with a 6-4 6-0 victory over Romanian Monica Niculescu at Hisense Arena on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old Serbian struggled to find form early in the match as she was broken by Niculescu in her opening game, and tallied seven unforced errors before she got on the scoreboard at 2-1.

The 2008 US Open finalist was able to break back immediately, but from there neither player could hold their serve in the opening set, which featured seven breaks.

The world No. 101 Niculescu took it right up to Jankovic, challenging the Serb with her powerful groundstokes.

Jankovic, seeking to improve on her Australian Open 2008 semi-final appearance, looked out of sorts, hitting 20 unforced errors in the first set. She was able to convert all four break point opportunities to finally claim the set in 47 minutes.

Jankovic stepped it up in the second set, with the Romanian initially offering some resistance by punching a forehand volley winner in the eighth seed’s opening service game to grab a break-point opportunity.

Jankovic saw off the challenge with a well-timed ace, but Niculescu managed a further break-point opportunity. The two were locked in an intense battle in the opening game, but it was Jankovic who prevailed, winning an entertaining net exchange to take the early advantage.

After escaping the service break, Niculescu lost her way as Jankovic quickly ran away with the match, advancing to the second round without losing a game the rest of the way.

Jankovic will now meet 87th-ranked Brit Katie O’Brien in the second round after O’Brien beat Austrian Patricia Mayr 6-3 6-3 earlier on Tuesday.

Current Match on Hisense Arena Hisense Arena - Women's Singles - 1st Round Jelena Jankovic SRB (8) 6 6 Monica Niculescu ROU 4 0 Match Statistics Serve Statistics

Australian Lleyton Hewitt defeats Ricardo Hocevar of Brazil

Hewitt plays a forehand during his first round match on day two.