• Australian Open, Day Four

Sharapova and Serena show ruthless streak

Maria Sharapova blows a kiss to the crowd after waltzing into the third round © Getty Images

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The 2008 winner Maria Sharapova signalled her intent to contend for another Australian Open title as she easily dispatched American qualifier Jamie Hampton in their second-round clash.

The fourth seed wasted little time in thrashing Hampton, recording a 6-0 6-1 victory in 64 minutes in the first match on Rod Laver Arena. Sharapova simply had too many weapons for her 144th-ranked opponent, rattling off 23 winners during the one-sided contest.

The Russian has now dropped just two games in as many matches and shows no sign of letting up as her occasionally shaky serve remained solid. Indeed, after landing 77% of her first serves, Sharapova appears bound to move beyond the fourth round for the first time since winning the event four years ago.

Sharapova will face Angelique Kerber next. The German proved too strong for Canada's Stephanie Dubois, winning 7-5 6-1 in their second-round match.

Serena Williams also notched an impressive second-round win, accounting for Barbora Zahlavova Strycova with ease. Despite struggling on serve throughout the contest, Williams managed to collect a 6-0 6-4 victory.

A five-time champion of the Australian Open, Williams moved freely around the court despite rolling her left ankle at the Brisbane International a fortnight ago. Williams surged to a 4-0 lead in just 12 minutes, taking the first set in 22.

The American then raced to a commanding 5-2 advantage in the second set. But a resilient Strycova recovered to 5-4 before Williams clocked five straight winners to seal the triumph.

Serena Williams looked in ominous form against Barbora Zahlavova Strycova © Getty Images

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Up next for Williams is Greta Arn who won a war of attrition with 17th seed Dominika Cibulkova, winnning 6-2 3-6 10-8.

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova battled to a 6-2 2-6 6-4 victory over Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro in a match which lasted just under two hours. The world No. 2 was wayward from the back of the court, hitting 38 unforced errors and dropping the second set as a result, before regrouping to seal the win.

Kvitova will face 27th seed Maria Kirilenko in rolund three following her 6-4 1-6 6-2 win over Aleksandra Wozniak.

Vera Zvonareva also overcame a spirited fightback from Lucie Hradecka to move into the third round. After taking the first set with ease, the seventh seed ultimately sealed progression in a tense tiebreaker to claim a 6-1 7-6(3) win.

Zvonareva's opponent in round three will be Ekaterina Makarova who took out 25th seed Kaia Kanepi 6-2 7-5.

Sabine Lisicki, ESPN's pre-tournament tip, is making quiet progress and she crushed Shahar Peer 6-1 6-2. The German will face Svetlana Kuznetsova next following the Russian's 7-6(5) 7-5 win over Sloane Stephens.

Ana Ivanovic's form has improved markedly since linking up with coach Nigel Sears and the Serbian breezed past Michaella Krajicek. Ivanovic will face Vania King in round three following her win over 15th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Marion Bartoli withstood some early pressure from Jelena Dokic to ease to a 6-3 6-2 win and the ninth seed will face Jie Zheng next following the Chinese's win over Roberta Vinci.

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