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Serena Williams overwhelms Sara Errani

Carnage of seeds complete at Hobart

— PHOTO: AFP

IN HER ELEMENT: It was a stroll in the park for Serena Williams on Tuesday as she moved into the Sydney International quarterfinals.

SYDNEY: Serena Williams stepped up a gear dispatching Italian Sara Errani in quick time to power into the quarterfinals of the Sydney WTA International on Tuesday.

The American World No. 2 and tournament top seed rattled past the 38th-ranked Errani 6-1, 6-2 in just 50 minutes to set up a last eight meeting with Denmark’s eighth seed Caroline Wozniacki.

Williams, who is favourite to land her fourth Australian Open crown, is pleased with her form heading into the business end of the Sydney tournament.

“I was a little better today,” she said. “I still think I can improve on some things, and that’s what I want to do. I don’t want to peak too soon.”

Second seed Dinara Safin raced through her second round match, dropping just three games in downing fellow Russian Vera Dushevina, 6-3, 6-0 and will play Alize Cornet of France in the quarterfinals.

Seeds ousted

At Hobart, the remaining seeds were knocked out of the Hobart International on Tuesday, completing three remarkable days of upsets at the Australian Open warm-up event. Italian top seed Flavia Pennetta was bundled out of the tournament when she lost her second round match to Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova 7-5, 6-3.

China’s Zheng Jie, the fourth seed, lost 6-3, 6-3 to Argentine Gisela Dulko, while seventh-seeded Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine was sent packing by Czech Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-0.

The other five seeds were all eliminated on the first two days, leaving the event wide open.

At Auckland, American John Isner fired 12 aces on his way to a 7-6(4), 7-5 win over seventh-seeded Albert Montanes of Spain in the first round of the Heineken Open.

Isner, who earned a direct entry to next week’s Australian Open when he won the USTA wild card tournament, won three three-set matches in qualifying to get into the main draw at Auckland.

The results: At Sydney: Sydney International: Men: First round: Paul-Henri Mathieu bt Andreas Seppi 6-2, 2-6, 6-3; Janko Tipsarevic bt Mardy Fish 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Lleyton Hewitt bt Julien Benneteau 5-7, 6-2, 6-4; Chris Guccione bt Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-4; Jeremy Chardy bt Radek Stepanek 6-4, 3-0 (retd.), Richard Gasquet bt Dmitry Tursunov 7-6(4), 6-4.

Women: Second round: Serena Williams bt Sara Errani 6-1, 6-2; Dinara Safina bt Vera Dushevina 6-3, 6-0; Elena Dementieva bt Jarmila Gajdosova 6-2, 6-4; Agnieszka Radwanska bt Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 7-5; Caroline Wozniacki bt Melanie South 6-2, 6-0; Ai Sugiyama bt Anabel Medina Garrigues 2-6, 6-1, 6-2; Svetlana Kuznetsova bt Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(3); Alize Cornet bt Alisa Kleybanova 7-6(5), 6-1.

At Hobart: Hobart International: Second round: Gisela Dulko bt Zheng Ji 6-3, 6-3; Petra Kvitova bt Alona Bondarenko 6-2, 6-1; Iveta Benesova bt Mara Santangelo 6-3, 6-1; Virginie Razzano bt Anne Keothavong 4-6, 6-0, 7-5; Melinda Czink bt Urszula Radwanska 4-2 (retd.); Magdalena Rybarikova bt Flavia Pennetta 7-5, 6-3.

At Auckland: Heineken Open: First round: Philipp Kohlschreiber bt Dominik Hrbaty 6-1, 6-2; Gilles Muller bt Francois Serra 6-3, 6-4; John Isner bt Albert Montanes 7-6(4), 7-5; Ernests Gulbis bt Marcel Granollers 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1; Bobby Reynolds bt Oscar Hernandez 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-2; Marc Gicquel bt Agustin Calleri 3-6, 6-4, 6-4; Juan Monaco bt Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-4. — Agencies

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