Top seed Justine Henin-Hardenne served up the dreaded double-bagel to schoolgirl Olivia Lukaszewicz as she romped into the Australian Open second round in Melbourne on Monday.
The Belgian world number one showed no mercy to her 15-year-old Australian opponent, crushing the young qualifier 6-0, 6-0 at a sun-baked Rod Laver Arena in just 45 minutes.
Henin-Hardenne, the reigning French and US Open champion who is bidding for a third Grand Slam title in eight months, now faces France’s unseeded Camille Pin in the second round on Wednesday.
But while Henin-Hardenne was always in control against the world number 83 from Adelaide, her all-round game was not without the odd glitch.
Six double-faults went against Henin-Hardenne, and the Belgian will also be concerned by the 17 unforced errors that littered her game.
Nevertheless, Henin-Hardenne was relieved to get off the mark with a brisk victory as she sets out on a quest for back-to-back Grand Slams.
”It’s good to have this kind of match when it’s hot like this,” said Henin-Hardenne, who cemented her favouritism by lifting the Sydney International last Saturday.
”I didn’t have a lot of rest after Sydney but I’m feeling good anyway. I mean, that’s a good start. I played well last week and that gave me a lot of confidence.”
A glut of injuries to former champions including last year’s winner Serena Williams and 2001-02 queen Jennifer Capriati has left Henin-Hardenne with a great chance of landing her third Grand Slam crown.
But she played down the buzz of expectation surrounding her Melbourne campaign, insisting she was not necessarily the favourite.
”I don’t consider myself as the biggest favourite here because you have many other players who can win. It’s still very early to talk about next week,” said Henin-Hardenne.
Henin-Hardenne, who was swept aside 6-3, 6-3 in last year’s semifinals by Venus Williams, said she had added a tougher mental edge to her game after lifting her maiden Grand Slams in 2003.
”The two victories last year in Grand Slams, gave me a lot of confidence,” she said.
”Even if I’m not playing my best tennis during the practice. I just stay very calm because I know that during the competition everything is very different.” — Sapa-AFP