Former world No.1 Ana Ivanovic has joined two-time runner-up Li Na in the second round of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.
Ivanovic followed weekend success in her first tournament of the season with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Kiki Bertens of Holland, setting her on the path to a possible fourth-round meeting with top seed Serena Williams.
The fourth round has been a stumbling block in recent grand slams for the player who won the French Open in 2008, the same year she made the Australian Open final.
But Ivanovic’s success over Venus Williams in the final in Auckland on Saturday has the 14th seed confident of at least reaching the round of 32 in Melbourne.
“It was the best start I could have had and the best I’ve made in a few years,” Ivanovic said.
“The draw is tough for me, but I’m playing well and that’s all I can do.”
Earlier on Monday, Li Na took only 61 minutes to beat Croatia’s Ana Konjuh 6-2 6-0 and was grateful to have played before the predicted heatwave conditions arrive.
The fourth seed’s win earned her a Wednesday meeting with Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic, who knocked out veteran Japanese Kimiko Date-Krumm in three sets on Monday.
Li’s win came in her first match at the Open since she lost last year’s final to Victoria Azarenka, who begins her 2014 campaign on Tuesday.
Li said she knows nothing about her next opponent who she will treat as seriously as any other.
“I know she played Kimiko today, but I have to prepare for my match so I didn’t really see much. So I will try to find it on the internet,” Li said.
Like all of Monday’s opening round players, Li had the advantage of playing in relatively mild conditions that are expected to be followed by 40-plus temperatures on Tuesday.
“It was very lucky we play today, tomorrow is the worst,” she said.
In other matches, 22nd seed Ekaterina Makarova of Russia beat the unseeded Williams 2-6 6-4 6-4, while American Irina Falconi crushed Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3 6-1.
Ninth seed Angelique Kerber of Germany beat Australia’s Jarmila Gajdosova 6-3 0-6 6-2 and Belgian 18th seed Kirsten Flipkens defeated Britain’s Laura Robson 6-3 6-0.
The first Australian victory at the Open came from the unseeded Casey Dellacqua, who accounted for Russia’s Vera Zvonareva 6-2 6-2.
