TENNIS
Top seeds win with few problems
MELBOURNE, Australia — Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic cruised into the third round of the Australian Open today, with both 21-year-old Serbs looking as if they could make another memorable run in the season’s first major.
Ivanovic beat Italian Alberta Brianti, 6-3, 6-2, at Rod Laver Arena, and defending men’s champion Djokovic followed with a 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 win over Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.
Top-ranked Jelena Jankovic, the only one of the emerging Serbian trio without a major title, had a little more trouble advancing. She held on for a 6-4, 7-5 win over Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium.
Jankovic needed a medical timeout for treatment on her right foot in the first set and was broken three times in a tougher-than-expected, 1-hour, 46-minute match.
Chardy matched the third-ranked Djokovic shot for shot before wilting while trying to force a tiebreaker in the first set.
Djokovic, who ended Roger Federer’s 19-match winning streak at Melbourne Park in last year’s semifinals, was dominating on his serve against Chardy, faltering only when he was broken at love while serving for the match.
But he broke right back, finishing it off when Chardy netted a forehand on match point.
“Today I feel really happy with the way I played,” Djokovic said.
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