Svetlana Kuznetsova shrugged off the drug controversy raging around her to claim a place alongside other top seeds in the Australian Open third round on Wednesday.
The US Open champion, at the centre of a doping storm after revelations she tested positive for the stimulant ephedrine at an exhibition event last month, brushed aside France’s Marion Bartoli 6-2, 6-0 at Melbourne Park.
In the men’s draw, four-time former champion Andre Agassi and last year’s beaten finalist Marat Safin of Russia both swept through in straight sets, outclassing their respective opponents.
Agassi demolished Rainer Schuettler of Germany 6-3, 6-1, 6-0. Safin raced to a 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 victory over Bohdan Ulihrach of the Czech Republic.
Agassi, at 34 the oldest man in the field, was beaming after coming through another match without any problems from a hip injury that had been troubling him in the days leading up to the tournament.
”To be able to have the time to get it [injury] better up to this point is a great sign that it will be 100%, because I’ve got another day now,” Agassi said. ”My movement was plenty good enough for me to think about my game and not think about that.”
Safin, meanwhile, was delighted with his form, saying he was enjoying his best-ever start to a grand slam.
”I did a good job in the pre-season, worked hard. I’m ready,” he said. ”Also, I got older a little bit. I have more experience, so I know what to do.”
World number one Roger Federer of Switzerland was playing a night match against Japanese qualifier Takao Suzuki on centre court.
Kuznetsova, meanwhile, showed that the drug furore that has dominated the start to the Open has not seriously affected her by downing Bartoli in 40 one-sided minutes.
”I think I’m professional enough to go out there and do my job. I’m a professional and I want to show that it doesn’t affect me … I didn’t do anything wrong,” said Kuznetsova.
In other matches, women’s favourite Serena Williams was a similarly emphatic winner when she overwhelmed Dally Randriantefy of Madagascar 6-3, 6-0.
Williams will now play India’s Sania Mirza in the next round on Friday. Wild-card entrant Mirza created history by becoming the first woman from India to reach a grand slam third round by beating Hungary’s Petra Mandula 6-2, 6-1.
”I’m really looking forward to finding out hard she hits the ball,” said 18-year-old Mirza of her match-up with Williams.
But while Williams and Kuznetsova were cruising, other women’s seeds found the going harder.
France’s world number two Amelie Mauresmo and fourth-seeded Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova both survived scares to avoid joining a clutch of seeded players who were dumped out.
Mauresmo, chasing her first grand slam title, was forced to fight back from a set down before overpowering Russian teenager Dinara Safina 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 to advance to the third round.
Sharapova was given a fright by lowly ranked American Lindsay Lee-Waters, the world number 87, before coming through 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.
The 17-year-old prodigy couldn’t hide her relief after securing the win, which sets up a third-round meeting with China’s Li Na on Friday.
”It was an amazing match. Both of us gave it all we’ve got, in the third set we just fought for every single ball,” Sharapova said. ”In the end it was just a matter of a few points.”
But other seeds were not so lucky. Japan’s 28th seed Shinobu Asagoe lost to China’s Li, while Russian ninth seed Vera Zvonareva crashed 6-3, 6-3 to compatriot Vera Douchevina.
World number 64 Li, who made history last year by becoming the first Chinese player to win a title on the WTA Tour when she won in Guangzhou, advanced to the third round after downing Asagoe 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and seven minutes.
It was the latest in a series of notable results by Chinese women, who have come from nowhere in the past decade to establish themselves on the international circuit.
Seventeenth seed and last year’s semifinalist Fabiola Zuluaga of Colombia, meanwhile, was bundled out by Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany. — Sapa-AFP