Federer and Serena make light of Melbourne heat

Roger Federer and Serena Williams showed there was plenty of life left in their relatively old legs by easing into the third round of the Australian Open on a day when sweltering heat tested the stamina of 30-something and teenager alike.

Sunscreen and icepacks were the order of the day yesterday as temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius in the late afternoon but 31-year-old Federer was coolness personified in the early evening as he dismissed Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 6-4 6-4.

Third seed Williams, also 31, kept her time on court to a minimum as she swept aside Garbine Muguruza 6-2 6-0 before Andy Murray, her counterpart in the men’s draw, clinically despatched Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-2 6-2 6-4.

Not everybody got off so lightly, however, and Blaz Kavcic slugged it out for four hours and 52 minutes on court three against James Duckworth in ferocious heat in the middle of the day before winning 3-6 6-3 6-4 6-7 10-8.

Women’s defending champion Victoria Azarenka, 23, proceeded easily enough in the relative cool of the morning with a 6-1 6-0 thrashing of Eleni Daniilidou.

Any hopes the Belarussian had that Williams, against whom she has a 1-11 record, might be hampered by the ankle she injured on Tuesday were quickly dashed in the next match on Rod Laver Arena, however.

The American, odds-on favourite to dethrone Azarenka and capture a 16th grand slam title next week, gave herself a fat lip with her own racket during the first set but was barely troubled otherwise.

“I didn’t feel anything today,” Williams, who later played doubles, said of the ankle injury.

“Usually I feel injuries after the match, but so far, so good.”

Federer, chasing an 18th major title, will next face 20-year-old Bernard Tomic.

Seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame Japan’s Go Soeda 6-3 7-6 6-3 and was joined in the third round by fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who beat Colombian Alejandro Falla 6-3 6-2 6-2.

Gael Monfils also progressed but only after double-faulting on four successive match points before finally clinching a 7-6 4-6 0-6 6-1 8-6 victory over Lu Yen-Hsun.

Veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm, the women’s world number 100, is fast becoming a cult hero at Melbourne Park and she continued her fairytale run with a 6-2 7-5 win over Israel’s Shahar Peer.

“It’s not easy... I need a new body,” the 42-year-old said.

Caroline Wozniacki was also feeling her age after her encounter with Croatia’s Donna Vekic, which she won 6-1 6-4.

“I’ve been out here playing tennis for a few years now and I feel like a veteran, particularly when I’m playing against a 16-year-old,” she said.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Laura Robson became one of 11 teenagers to reach the third round when she beat former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 2-6 6-3 11-9 well past midnight.