Tennis: Serena Williams led the way as the big names in the women's draw enjoyed smooth progress at the Australian Open today.
The top seed continued the defence of her title with a straightforward third-round win over Carla Suarez Navarro.
The American was a 6-0 6-3 winner over the Spaniard but did not have it all her own way at the Hisense Arena.
The top seed needed eight set points to clinch the first while Suarez made a fist of it in the second by winning three games. However, there was clearly only going to be one winner and Williams moves on to face Australian Sam Stosur in the next round.
Stosur kept home hopes alive as she beat Alberta Brianti 6-4 6-1.
Stosur beat Williams when they last met in Los Angeles last year and with her home crowd behind her the defending champion is wary of her threat.
"She beat me the last time we played, so she has a lot of momentum,'' said Williams.
"She serves great. She gets a lot of big, big first serves.
"I definitely expect the crowd to root for Sam. I mean, I would.''
Stosur claimed she could cause the upset, saying: "I guess I don't really have that much to lose. I can go out there and just really enjoy it.
"I know I've got the game that can beat her because I've done it before.''
Venus Williams also progressed as she made it a hat-trick of wins against left-handers by overcoming the plucky challenge of another Aussie, Casey Dellacqua.
Williams won the match in straight sets - 6-1 7-6 (7/3) - but was pushed until the end in a contest which lasted one hour and 47 minutes.
It was the sixth seed's third win against left-handed opposition, after beating Lucie Safarova and Sybille Bammer in the earlier rounds, and - like her sister - is still to drop a set in Melbourne.
The same can be said about Victoria Azarenka and Vera Zvonareva who both won on Saturday and will now face each other in the last 16.
Seventh seed Azarenka thrashed Tathiana Garbin 6-0 6-2 which means she has dropped just eight games in three matches so far.
Zvonareva, seeded nine, has lost only 11 herself but was tested for the first time in the second set of her clash with Gisela Dulko before winning 6-1 7-5.
There was a minor shock when Francesca Schiavone, the 17th seed, toppled Agnieszka Radwanska (10) with a 6-2 6-2 success.
The Italian will next play Venus.
Meanwhile, China's Na Li battled past Daniela Hantuchova, winning 7-5 3-6 6-2.
She will next face the winner of the final match of the day, fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki.
The Danish teenager, who reached last season's US Open final, won the last nine games as she beat Israel's Shahar Peer 6-4 6-0.