Sharapova into 3rd round of Aussie Open

“This is where I played my first Grand Slam right on this court and I’m still going, it’s such an honor”, said Williams, a six-time champion who has a 70-9 record at Melbourne Park.

“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and today I won”.

Rising Spanish star Garbine Muguruza beat Estonian debutante Anett Kontaveit 6-0 6-4 in one hour exactly – and immediately set her sights on dethroning Serena Williams in the final.

Speaking after the match, she said: “I’m very satisfied with how I dealt with the situation”. “I was like, “Yay”.

AND ELSEWHERE: Former No. 1 and 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic plays qualifier Anastasja Sevastova of Latvia in the first match on Rod Laver Arena…

Konta need not have anxious as Williams, the oldest player in the draw at 35, never got to grips with Konta’s serve and accurate ground strokes and she took the first set with a beautifully hit ace straight down the middle.

In the biggest upset of the day, two-time Wimbledon champion and sixth-seeded Petra Kvitova was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Russian-born Australian Daria Gavrilova. He hasn’t made it past the quarterfinals since the 2014 Australian Open, his last Grand Slam win, though he came into this year’s tournament on something of an upswing.

But in her post-match press conference, Williams was in no mood to reminisce about her shock defeat to unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows previous year.

“But at the same time, I know I did everything that I can to be ready for it. Was not my day”. An early exit also raised questions whether the 29-year-old Mallorcan could still compete in Grand Slam events like the Australian Open amid his declining performance in the last three years, reports the BBC. She’s also just two Grand Slams shy of tying the record for the most-ever majors played by a woman – 71, set by American Amy Frazier. Despite losing to Venus Williams in the last eight, Konta replaced Heather Watson as British number one.

Roger Federer of Switzerland extended his streak by reaching the third round for the 17th straight Australian Open. He lost in the third round in his first two trips to Melbourne Park in 2000 and ’01 and again last year – in between he won the title four times and lost one final during a run of reaching the semifinals or better in 11 consecutive years. I have been playing and practising great and working so much. “It was way too quick for my game”, Bedene said. “The weather changes. Overall, I’m just happy that I could get the match in because I know many players are waiting for the rain to stop”.

It solidifies her position as Britain’s number one and, although coming against an out-of-sorts Williams, the win was built on a mixture of devastating groundstrokes and impressive defence.

“It’s always great support from Michael”. It is an extraordinary field and I think it will ensure quality matches.

Maria Sharapova (5), Russia, def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Belarus, 6-2, 6-1.

Bencic beat Timea Babos, 6-3, 6-3, to set up a third-round match with Kateryna Bondarenko, who ousted No. 23-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-1, 7-5.