Serena cruises through first round

Serena Williams moved automatically into cruise control on Tuesday, releasing just
enough power to blast China's Yuan Meng in straight sets and slip into the second
round of the Australian Open.
With temperatures again hovering in the high 30s, Williams took the first step in
her bid for a fourth Australian crown with an effortless 6-3 6-2 win.
The key to her win was controlling the pace of the game, allowing her to conserve
energy in the trying conditions.
"It was a little hot for me today but I was able to take my time and play a lot
slower, not giving 1000 per cent," Williams said.
"I think going out there today in this heat, it was pretty important for me not to
go crazy out there... keep in mind I am playing doubles here as well and I
definitely want to do well in both events."
She was joined in the second round by former champion Amelie Mauresmo and fourth
seeded Russian Elena Dementieva.
Mauresmo, the 2006 champion, beat Bulgarian Olga Govortsova 6-4 6-3 while Dementieva
survived a scare before outlasting German Kristina Barrois 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-1.
Dementieva came into the Open after winning both lead-up events in Auckland and
Sydney, which has boosted her confidence but left a question mark over her stamina.
As long as she has not already expended too much energy, Dementieva believes she can
improve on Tuesday's performance.
"I think it was a very tough match, especially because of the weather conditions
today," Dementieva said.
"And also it was not easy for me to come here after playing so many matches in a row.
"I don't think it will be a problem, I think it's always nice to have some good
matches before, that really gives you a lot of confidence for the grand slam.
"But it's just a matter of the recovery, if it's enough time for me to get some rest
and get ready for the first round."
Mauresmo has dropped out of the top 10 this past year but says she is not worried
about her ranking.
Rather, she says, she is planning to have her game peak at the grand slams.
"I am aware you have to play a lot to see your ranking go up," she said.
"It's not really the goal for this year, the goal is to focus on the big
events...and also try to win a tournament again, which I haven't done for a couple
of years.
"I'm not really concerned about the ranking really. If it goes up, that's great, it
shows that I'm playing good, that I'm consistent. But I'm really looking at some
level of play more than ranking."
Mauresmo now meets little-known British qualifier Elena Baltacha, a potential
danger, she said.
"I don't know much about her, I've never even seen her play so I guess I will just
have to focus on really what I have to do and be strong on my weapons.
"Always you really have to be careful and you really have to take things very
seriously from the beginning of the match.
"I know how it feels to be in this situation, I know you need to have the adrenaline
coming up, you're on a roll, you want to keep going," she said.
Swiss 14th seed Patty Schnyder also played her way into the second round today,
fighting back from a first set deficit to oust Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic 2-6
6-4 6-2.
Meanwhile, ninth seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska fell to Ukrainian Kateryna
Bondarenko 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 6-1 and blamed a string of unforced errors for her exit.