TENNIS: Roger Federer will play old rival Marat Safin in the third round of the Australian Open after returning to something like his best form today.
The second seed, who was unconvincing in his first-round match, remains on course for a record-equalling 14th grand slam title after easily defeating Evgeny Korolev 6-2 6-3 6-1.
The victory saw the 27-year-old Swiss star move above Boris Becker into seventh place for the most open era grand slam match wins with a 165-25 win-loss record.
It also set up a third-round clash with Safin, who beat him on the way to the 2005 title in a Melbourne Park classic, after the Russian enjoyed a straight-sets win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Qualifier Korolev, who defeated former world number one Carlos Moya to book his date with Federer, was no match for the world number two who looked comfortable throughout.
The first set took just 28 minutes as Federer got two early breaks, thanks largely to the 20-year-old's 15 unforced errors, to go 5-1 up.
But Korolev enjoyed some good moments too, a lovely backhand passing shot setting up a break point which was duly converted when Federer netted.
But it was all academic as Federer broke back immediately to claim the first set 6 -2.
Korolev was certainly not daunted by facing the former world number one and three-time Australian Open champion, showing plenty of tenacity and at times a little audacity, to extend the rallies but ultimately it was futile.
The second set went with serve until the eighth game when Federer got the breakthrough and then served out for the set before he broke the Russian twice early in the third to race to a 4-0 lead.
Korolev held to make it 4-1 but with the youngster's unforced error count mounting Federer closed out the game with ease in one hour 27 minutes
Defending champion Novak Djokovic also reached the last 32 but was made to work hard in the early stages before beating Jeremy Chardy 7-5 6-1 6-3.
In the women's singles, the Serbian duo of Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic both progressed to the third round.
Top seed Jankovic was made to work hardest, Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens putting up plenty of resistance during her 6-4 7-5 defeat.
Ivanovic was more convincing, defeating Italian qualifier Alberta Brianti 6-3 6-2.
It was also a good day for the Russian women.
Vera Zvonareva led the way with a famed 'double bagel' win over Edina Gallovits.
The 6-0 6-0 victory took just 46 minutes, with Gallovits producing a rash of errors as she won just 22 points in the match.
Third seed Dinara Safina had things much tougher in her second-round encounter and needed a third set before seeing off compatriot Ekaterina Makarova.
Safina lost the opening set on a tie-break but hit back in the second, taking it 6-3.
And once she had levelled the match, the world number three eased away in the decider to secure a 6-7 (3/7) 6-3 6-0 victory.
Nadia Petrova, seeded 10, ended the hopes of India's number one Sania Mirza.
The Russian proved too good and eased to a 6-3 6-2 success, holding serve throughout the 70-minute match.
Rising teenage stars Caroline Wozniacki and Alize Cornet both continued their march in impressive fashion.
Wozniacki dismissed the challenge of Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-3 6-3, while Cornet, who turns 19 on Thursday, gained an early birthday present with a crushing 6-1 6-0 victory over German Andrea Petkovic.
She'll now meet Daniela Hantuchova.
Australian Open Results, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Men's Singles Round 2: Yen-Hsun Lu (Tpe) bt (10) David Nalbandian (Arg) 6-4 5-7 4-6 6-4 6-2, (15) Stanislas Wawrinka (Swi) bt Brydan Klein (Aus) 6-3 6-4 6-4, (19) Marin Cilic (Cro) bt Janko Tipsarevic (Ser) 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-3, (3) Novak Djokovic (Ser) bt Jeremy Chardy (Fra) 7-5 6-1 6-3, Amer Delic (USA) bt (28) Paul-Henri Mathieu (Fra) 1-6 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 9-7, (11) David Ferrer (Spa) bt
Dominik Hrbaty (Svk) 6-2 6-2 6-1, (2) Roger Federer (Swi) bt Evgeny Korolev (Rus) 6-2 6-3 6-1, Gilles Muller (Lux) bt Bernard Tomic (Aus) 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-2, Marcos Baghdatis (Cyp) bt (16) Robin Soderling (Swe) 3-6 7-5 6-3 6-3, Fabrice Santoro (Fra) bt (32) Phillip Kohlschreiber (Ger) 5-7 7-5 3-6 7-5 6-3, (7) Andy Roddick (USA) bt Xavier Malisse (Bel) 4-6 6-2 7-6 (7-1) 6-2, (26) Marat Safin
(Rus) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spa) 7-5 6-2 6-2, (20) Tomas Berdych (Cze) bt Brian Dabul (Arg) 6-1 6-1 6-3, (21) Tommy Robredo (Spa) bt Viktor Troicki (Ser) 6-1 6-3 6-0, (23) Mardy Fish (USA) bt Simone Bolelli (Ita) 6-4 6-1 7-5, (8) Juan Martin Del Potro (Arg) bt Florian Mayer (Ger) 6-1 7-5 6-2
Women's Singles Round 2: (10) Nadia Petrova (Rus) bt Sania Mirza (Ind) 6-3 6-2, (26) Ai Sugiyama (Jpn) bt Nathalie Dechy (Fra) 1-6 6-1 6-3, Jelena Dokic (Aus) bt (17) Anna Chakvetadze (Rus) 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-3, (11) Caroline Wozniacki (Den) bt Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spa) 6-3 6-3, (16) Marion Bartoli (Fra) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (Bul) 7-5 6-2, Lucie Safarova (Cze) bt Marina Erakovic (Nzl) 6-1 3-6 9-7, (5) Ana Ivanovic (Ser) bt Alberta Brianti (Ita) 6-3 6-2, (19) Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) bt Mathilde Johansson (Fra) 6-3 4-6 6-3, (25) Kaia Kanepi (Est) bt Patricia Mayr (Aut) 6-3 6-1, (3) Dinara Safina (Rus) bt Ekaterina Makarova (Rus) 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-0, Sara Errani (Ita) bt Monica Niculescu (Rom) 6-2 6-3, (7) Vera Zvonareva (Rus) bt Edina Gallovits (Rom) 6-0 6-0, (15) Alize Cornet (Fra) bt Andrea Petkovic (Ger) 6-1 6-0, (1) Jelena Jankovic (Ser) bt Kirsten
Flipkens (Bel) 6-4 7-5, (29) Alisa Kleybanova (Rus) bt Stephanie Cohen Aloro (Fra) 6-1 3-6 6-2, Galina Voskoboeva (Kaz) bt Karin Knapp (Ita) 6-4 6-1
Men's Doubles Round 1: (6) Mariusz Fyrstenberg (Pol) & Marcin Matkowski (Pol) bt Colin Ebelthite (Aus) & Samuel Groth (Aus) 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 6-4, (9) Max Mirnyi (Blr) & Andy Ram (Isr) bt Greg Jones (Aus) & Peter Luczak (Aus) 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 7-6 (10-8), Stephen Huss (Aus) & Ross Hutchins (Gbr) bt Agustin Calleri (Arg) & Eduardo Schwank (Arg) 7-5 7-5, (7) Bruno Soares (Bra) & Kevin Ullyett (Zim) bt Julien Benneteau (Fra) & Florent Serra (Fra) 6-3 6-0, Ivo Karlovic (Cro) &
Jean-Claude Scherrer (Swi) bt Sebastian Prieto (Arg) & Martin Vassallo Arquello (Arg) 1-6 6-1 7-6 (7-4), Fabio Fognini (Ita) & Ivan Ljubicic (Cro) bt Steve Darcis (Bel) & Christophe Rochus (Bel) 6-4 6-3, Igor Kunitsyn (Rus) & Dmitry Tursunov (Rus) bt Dane Propoggia (Aus) & Matt Reid (Aus) 6-4 6-4, Carsten Ball (Aus) & Chris Guccione (Aus) bt Scott Lipsky (USA) & David Martin (USA) 7-6
(7-5) 7-6 (7-4), (15) Travis Parrott (USA) & Filip Polasek (Svk) bt Igor Andreev (Rus) & Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukr) 6-3 6-4, (14) Frantisek Cermak (Cze) & Michael Mertinak (Svk) bt Nicolas Almagro (Spa) & Ivan Navarro Pastor (Spa) 6-2 6-4, (2) Bob Bryan (USA) & Mike Bryan (USA) bt Fernando Gonzalez (Chi) & Mariano Hood (Arg) 7-5 6-3, (13) Christopher Kas (Ger) & Rogier Wassen (Ned) bt Chris Haggard (Rsa) & Sam Querrey (USA) 6-4 7-5, Feliciano Lopez (Spa) & Fernando Verdasco (Spa) bt James Cerretani (USA) & Potito Starace (Ita) 7-6 (9-7) 3-6 7-5, (5) Jeff Coetzee (Rsa) & Wesley Moodie (Rsa) bt Robby Ginepri (USA) & Vincent Spadea (USA) 6-4 6-3, Philipp Petzschner (Ger) & Alexander Peya (Aut) bt (12) Arnaud Clement (Fra) & Marc Gicquel (Fra) 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (13-11)
Women's Doubles Round 1:(5) Samantha Stosur (Aus) & Rennae Stubbs (Aus) bt Jarmila Gajdosova (Aus) & Kaia Kanepi (Est) 6-1 6-4, Raquel Kops-Jones (USA) & Abigail Spears (USA) bt Mariya Koryttseva (Ukr) & Yaroslava Shvedova (Kaz) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2, Ayumi Morita (Jpn) & Martina Muller (Ger) bt Petra Kvitova (Cze) & Magdalena Rybarikova (Svk) 6-4 7-6 (7-5), (7) Maria Kirilenko (Rus) & Flavia Pennetta (Ita) bt Liga Dekmeijere (Lat) & Aleksandra Wozniak (Can) 3-6 6-2 6-1,
Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol) & Urszula Radwanska (Pol) bt Jill Craybas (USA) & Tamarine Tanasugarn (Tha) 6-3 7-5, Gisela Dulko (Arg) & Roberta Vinci (Ita) bt (4) Alona Bondarenko (Ukr) & Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukr) 6-2 7-5, (10) Serena Williams (USA) & Venus Williams (USA) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) & Nadia Petrova (Rus) 6-3 6-1, (16) Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) & Shuai Peng (Chn) bt Maret Ani (Est) & Renata Voracova (Cze) 6-1 2-6 6-4, Nathalie Dechy (Fra) & Mara Santangelo (Ita) bt Severine Bremond (Fra) & Olga Govortsova (Blr) 6-1 6-0, (6) Zi Yan (Chn) & Jie Zheng (Chn) bt Eva Hrdinova (Cze) & Klara Zakopalova (Cze) 6-1 6-4, Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Ger) & Patty Schnyder (Swi) bt Kristina Barrois (Ger) & Tathiana Garbin (Ita) 6-2 6-1, Sofia Arvidsson (Swe) & Nathalie Grandin (Rsa) bt Alison Bai (Aus) & Emelyn Starr (Aus) 7-5 6-2, Klaudia Jans (Pol) &
Alicja Rosolska (Pol) bt Tamira Paszek (Aut) & Ipek Senoglu (Tur) 6-2 2-1 ret, Mervana Jugic-Salkic (Bsh) & Anne Keothavong (Gbr) bt Sophie Ferguson (Aus) & Jessica Moore (Aus) 6-3 6-2, (12) Casey Dellacqua (Aus) & Francesca Schiavone (Ita) bt Petra Cetkovska (Cze) & Carla Suarez-Navarro (Spa) 6-2 6-1, Agnes Szavay (Hun) & Elena Vesnina (Rus) bt (8) Chia-Jung Chuang (Tpe) & Tian Tian Sun (Chn) 3-6 6-3 6-4, (15) Tatiana Poutchek (Blr) & Anastasia Rodionova (Aus) bt Marta Domachowska (Pol) & Yanina Wickmayer (Bel) 6-1 6-1, Iveta Benesova (Cze) & Barbora Strycova (Cze) bt Yung-Jan Chan (Tpe) & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Rus) 6-4 6-4