Australian Open, Day 2: Serena, Venus breeze through first round

Serena Williams wins opening match at Australian Open Serena Williams made a good start towards capturing a 19th career Grand Slam with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium at the Australian Open on Monday. [caption id=“attachment_2055355” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Serena Williams of the U.S. makes a backhand return to Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne.[/caption] Dressed in a bright yellow and pink-trimmed outfit with a cut-out back, Williams won the first set in just 21 minutes before Van Uytvanck found her range and mad the second set a lot more competitive. Williams has already won five Australian Open titles, her most recent in 2010. This is the longest period she has gone without winning at Melbourne Park since she won her first Australian title in 2003. Venus breezes past Spaniard Torro-Flor Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams said her will to win was undimmed as she launched her 15th Australian Open campaign on Tuesday with a victory over Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor. The 34-year-old American, seeded 18 this year, breezed past the Spaniard 6-2, 6-2. Williams said she was feeling match-fit after winning the Auckland Open warm-up event. “I love the game, I love the thrill, I love the `Go Venus`,” she said. “It takes a lot of work to get to this level, so while I can play I`m going to play, when I can`t I`m going to watch it on TV.” Williams has made the final at Melbourne Park once, in 2003, along with one appearance in the semis and five in the quarters since she debuted in 1998. She said she was not looking too far ahead into this year`s draw. “My whole goal is to win my match, it`s just that simple, no one gives it to you,” she said. She will play either compatriot Lauren Davis or Serbia`s Aleksandra Krunic in the second round. Novak Djokovic wins 1st-round match at Australian Open Novak Djokovic began his quest for a fifth Australian Open title with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia in a first-round match Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_2054881” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Novak Djokovic of Serbia.[/caption] Djokovic, who said he had flu symptoms on the weekend, showed no apparent signs of illness in dominating the 116th-ranked Bedene. Djokovic won his first major at the Australian Open in 2008 and then for three years in a row from 2011 to 2013. He was beaten in the quarterfinals last year by eventual champion Stan Warwinka, ending a streak of 14 consecutive semifinal appearances in majors and a 25-match winning streak in Melbourne. Bedene received treatment at the end of the third game of the third set for an apparent right hip injury. Djokovic, the heavy favourite to win the season opening grand slam after a superb second half of 2014, barely raised a sweat in his victory over the 25-year-old Bedene, who received courtside medical treatment early in the third set. The 27-year-old Serb had little trouble against Bedene, who lost the Chennai final last week to Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka, winning the match in 109 minutes. He will now face either Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov or Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the next round. Wimbledon champ Kvitova wins 1st-rounder at Australian Open [caption id=“attachment_2054863” align=“alignright” width=“380”]  Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic celebrates.[/caption] Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is through to the second round of the Australian Open after a 6-1, 6-4 win over Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands in 63 minutes on Tuesday. Kvitova won her second Wimbledon title last year, beating Canadian Eugenie Bouchard in the final, to remain the only player born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam title. The Czech lefthander warmed up for the season’s first major with a run to the semifinals at Shenzen. Fourth-seeded Kvitova will face either Donna Vekic or Mona Barthel in the next round. Wozniacki overcomes tough challenge to defeat Townsend  Caroline Wozniacki saved seven of eight break points she faced to withstand a tough challenge from 18-year-old American Taylor Townsend, winning 7-6 (1), 6-2 in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_2054831” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Caroline Wozniacki beats Taylor Townsend.[/caption] Townsend hit 30 winners to just 20 for the eighth-seeded Wozniacki, but the No. 99-ranked American also had 34 unforced errors. Wozniacki reached her second US Open final last year and finished the season ranked in the top 10 for the sixth straight year. She faces a tough opponent in the second round — two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who is unseeded this year after missing most of last season with a foot injury. Wozniacki’s best result at Melbourne Park is a semifinal finish in 2011. Raonic advances in straight sets at Australian open [caption id=“attachment_2054773” align=“alignright” width=“380”]  Milos Raonic of Canada serves to Illya Marchenko of Ukraine.[/caption] Canada’s Milos Raonic defeated Ukrainian qualifier Illya Marchenko 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-3 to advance to the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday. The eighth-seeded Raonic was a semifinalist at Wimbledon last year, but has never been beyond the fourth round at Melbourne Park in four previous appearances. He is coming off a run to the final of the Brisbane International earlier this month where he lost a three-setter to Roger Federer. Wearing his trademark protective sleeve on his right arm, Raonic fired 30 aces against Marchenko, including on match point. He had 48 winners overall to counter 30 unforced errors. Wawrinka opens Australian Open title defense with win Stan Wawrinka began the defense of his Australian Open title with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_2054729” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland makes a forehand return. AP[/caption] Wawrinka was barely tested against the No. 100-ranked Ilhan, striking 34 winners and saving the only two break points he faced. The Swiss player is coming off a breakthrough season that saw him capture his first Grand Slam title, reach a career-high ranking of No. 3 and add the Davis Cup trophy with teammate Roger Federer in November. Wawrinka is coming off a season-opening title at the Chennai Open, which he also won last year before his surprising run to the Australian Open championship. Though struggling to land his first serve, the fourth seed barely broke a sweat on a steamy day at Melbourne Park, blasting 34 winners to wrap up the match in less than one and a half hours at Rod Laver Arena. Wawrinka raised a gasp from the crowd when he took a tumble on the court stretching for a volley late in the first set, but was untroubled thereafter and sealed the one-sided contest with a cross-court volley. He will play the winner of Romanian qualifier Marius Copil and Spaniard Pablo Andujar in the next round. US Open finalist Kei Nishikori advances at Aussie Open Kei Nishikori returned to Grand Slam action for the first time since his run to the US Open final, beating Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the Australian Open. [caption id=“attachment_2054623” align=“alignright” width=“380”]  Kei Nishikori of Japan rests between games with an ice pack on his shoulder.[/caption] The fifth-seeded Nishikori dropped his opening service game but recovered the break quickly and weathered a difficult opening match against Almagro, who reached the quarterfinals in his previous visit to Melbourne Park in 2013. Nishikori kept his unforced errors to 21 against Almagro, who ripped more winners — 40 to 30 — but also made 50 unforced errors. After a breakthrough season, when he became the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final, Nishikori is determined to go one better and win a major. Azarenka beats Stephens for 3rd straight year at Aussie Open Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka continued her comeback from a foot injury with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over familiar foe Sloane Stephens in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_2054569” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Victoria Azarenka of Belarus celebrates at point win over Sloane Stephens. AP[/caption] Limited to just nine tournaments last year, Azarenka’s ranking has fallen to No. 44 and she is unseeded at a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2007 US Open. The Belarussian defeated Stephens for the third consecutive year at Melbourne Park. The pair met in the semifinals in 2013, when Azarenka controversially took an extended injury timeout at a critical point late in the match. Azarenka also beat Stephens in the fourth round last year. Stephens was unseeded at the Australian Open this year, as well. AP