Venus Williams swung and missed a few times, while Kim Clijsters was right on target in a 6-0, 6-0 rout of Maria Elena Camerin in second-round matches yesterday at the Australian Open.
In her second match back from almost six months out with an abdominal injury, Williams had 23 unforced errors against the 112th-ranked Vera Douchevina of Russia before eventually pulling out a 6-4, 6-2 win. She said it was all a progression.
PHOTO: EPA
"I had a good match. I had a few more errors than I wanted to, but really the whole goal was just to keep hitting out," said Williams, seeded No. 3.
French Open men's champion Juan Carlos Ferrero overcame an arm injury and advanced to the third round with a 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-5 win over Italian Filippo Volandri, while Wimbledon champion Roger Federer had a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 win over American qualifier Jeff Morrison.
Ferrero felt "a lot of pain" in his left wrist when he lunged for a backhand volley in the third set, but after the match said "everything is OK -- I'll be OK."
Former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt lost his serve three times in the first set before he rebounded for a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 win over Karol Kucera, his third win over the Slovakian this year.
In the third round, second-seeded Federer is against Australian wild-card entry Todd Reid, third-seeded Ferrero faces Joachim Johansson of Sweden, and Hewitt is against 17-year-old Rafael Nadal of Spain.
Williams next faces fellow American Lisa Raymond, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Anca Barna.
A four-time Grand Slam titlist, Williams looked sharper in her opening-round match against Ashley Harkleroad than she did in her 56 minute-minute win over Douchevina. Although her serve was broken only once -- when she double-faulted on break point -- and her Russian rival had only eight winners.
"I'm clear about what I want to do on court -- I feel I can bring the errors down when I'm ready," said Williams. "I feel like I just want to hit, and that's what I'm doing."
Her main rivals know Williams is still just finding her range.
"She's still Venus," Clijsters said, "she's still quick and probably she's the best mover out there."
Clijsters didn't have any problems in her win over Camerin until the last game, when the Italian saved four match points before sending a backhand long.
Clijsters hit 25 winners and went to the net 14 times in a 50-minute stroll against Camerin, ranked No. 92.
"That was pretty perfect," said Clijsters, who has registered 6-0, 6-0 sweeps four times in Grand Slams. "It doesn't happen this often when you can win this well. It makes it feel good."
Clijsters said he had no trouble with the ankle problem that sidelined her for two weeks before the season's first major.
On the men's side, Ferrero was broken in the first game of the third set, when he hurt his arm, but converted on two break points in the following game to even the set 3-all. He clinched the victory when he broke Volandri in the 12th game, ending the match in 2 hours, 18 minutes.
The 23-year-old Spaniard, a finalist at the US Open, advances to face Johansson, a 7-6 (5), 6-3, 7-5 winner over Alberto Martin of Spain.
Eighth-seeded David Nalbandian, a former Wimbledon finalist, had a 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 win over German Florian Mayer; 11th-seeded Tim Henman advanced 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 over Radek Stepanek; and 14th-seeded Jiri Novak beat Czech countryman Jan Vacek 6-2, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
Reid, who was vomiting at courtside before he first served for the match in the fourth set, beat Armenia's Sargis Sargsian 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (6), 6-4.
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