Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova has won through to the third round of Australian Open 2009 following a comprehensive straight-sets defeat of German Tatjana Malek.
The No. 8 seed performed solidly in the uncomfortable and gusty conditions on Margaret Court Arena, winning 6-2 6-2.
Kuznetsova broke serve in the sixth game to lead 4-2, and never let up in closing out the set.
Malek, ranked No. 239, seemed unsettled by her first set drubbing, quickly dropping serve to fall behind 3-0 in the second set. It was a deficit she would not recover from.
With games then going on serve, Kuznetsova tightened up slightly, perhaps sensing the finish line.
Despite making some errors off routine shots when up 4-2, the Russian quickly cleaned up her game and resumed her domination, closing out the match with another break of serve to breeze into the last 32.
Kuznetsova will next face 31st seed Alona Bondarenko, who defeated Frenchwoman Severine Bremond 7-6(1) 1-6 6-2 on Thursday to advance.
Quick facts
Kuznetsova hit 23 winners during the match to Malek’s nine
Kuznetsova approached the net 24 times, winning 19 of those points, while Malek only ventured in once
Malek failed to convert any of her five break points
The German served the only three aces recorded in the match
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