Former champions Williams, Sharapova into third round at Australian Open

Former champions Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova dropped a combined five games to reach the third round of the Australian Open tennis tournament.
Five-time winner Williams, the No. 12 seed from the U.S., followed Sharapova’s 6-0, 6-1 victory against unseeded American Jamie Hampton by defeating Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-0, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena.
Williams’s 500th career victory extended her streak at Melbourne Park to 16 straight wins after back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. She missed the season-opening Grand Slam last year as she recovered from two operations on her foot. Her preparations this year were disrupted by an ankle sprain.
“It’s fine,” Williams said of the injury in a televised interview. “I just have really wobbly ankles. I wasn’t meant to be like a ballerina or anything.”
No. 4 seed Sharapova, one of four women who can finish the year’s first Grand Slam tennis tournament as the WTA’s No. 1- ranked player, is playing in her first event since October following a left ankle sprain. The Russian has dropped just two games in Melbourne, where she spent nearly two weeks ahead of the tournament while she rested her injured ankle.
“The goal is to get through and keep playing more,” Sharapova, who struck almost four times as many winners as the 144th-ranked Hampton, said in a news conference. “It’s just about taking it one at a time and improving, because it’s only going to get tougher from here.”

No. 13 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, whom Sharapova beat in the 2008 final in Melbourne to win her third Grand Slam title, sealed a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Michaella Krijicek of the Netherlands moments later on the No. 2 Hisense Arena court.
No. 7 seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia defeated Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), while No. 25 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia and 29th-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova lost.
Juan Ignacio Chela, the No. 27 from Argentina, and 23rd- seeded Canadian Milos Raonic were among the early men’s seeds to advance on day four, when top-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia continues his title defense against Santiago Giraldo of Colombia. Fourth seed Andy Murray of Britain meets Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France.
No. 8 Mardy Fish of the U.S. became the highest-ranked man to go out of the tournament yesterday. Defending women’s champion Kim Clijsters of Belgium and top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark reached the third round.
Second-seeded Rafael Nadal of Spain beat Tommy Haas of Germany 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 at Melbourne Park, while No. 3 Roger Federer of Switzerland had a walkover to the third round when German Andreas Beck withdrew with a lower back injury.

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