Kuznetsova advances to 3rd round

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova became the first player into the third round of the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-2 win today over fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

The third-seeded Kuznetsova was dominant after taking a 5-1 lead in the first set by breaking Pavlyuchenkova’s first two service games.

She got on top of most rallies with a strong forehand and had 27 winners against only seven for Pavlyuchenkova.

Kuznetsova, who has two Grand Slam singles championships — adding the French last year to her win at the 2004 U.S. Open — has a chance to reach the No. 1 ranking for the first time if she clinches the Australian Open title.

In eight previous trips to Melbourne Park, Kuznetsova has advanced to the quarterfinals twice, including last year when she lost to eventual champion Serena Williams after being up a set and a break.

This year, the 24-year-old Russian is feeling more confident of winning.

“Yes, definitely, I know all the way how to go — I’ve done it twice,” Kuznetsova said. “It’s exciting. You always have different motivation at the Grand Slams — I love to play here.”

No. 4 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who lost the U.S. Open final to Kim Clijsters in September, had a 6-4, 6-2 first-round win over Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak.

In other first-round matches carried over from the rain-interrupted opening days, No. 7 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus beat French wild card Stephanie Cohen-Aloro 6-2, 6-0, No. 9 Vera Zvonareva beat Kristina Kucova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-0 and No. 16 Li Na of China, a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Open, beat New Zealander Marina Erakovic 6-2, 6-0.

Serena Williams returned to Grand Slam play Tuesday for the first time since her tirade against the line judge who called her for a foot fault during her U.S. Open semifinal loss to Clijsters.

And while the 11-time major winner did seem less effusive than usual on court, Williams didn’t hold back after her 6-2, 6-1 win over 18-year-old Urszula Radwanska about what she thought of the punishment.

“I don’t know whoever got fined like that. People said worse, done worse,” she said, “I think it was a bit much.”

Williams was fined $82,500 and warned she could be suspended from the U.S. Open for another “major offense” at any Grand Slam event in the next two years. Williams said she doubts whether one of the top men would have drawn such a fine.

“In tennis I think we’ve been able to do really well with having fought so hard to get equal prize money,” said Williams, who last year became the first woman to surpass $6 million in prize money in a season. “