Defending champion and top seed Novak Djokovic cruised into the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday with the loss of just two games against Italy's Paolo Lorenzi.
Djokovic had few problems in winning 6-2, 6-0, 6-0 and will next play Colombia's Santiago Giraldo.
The Serbian world number one broke Lorenzi's service nine times in wrapping up his opening match in 1hr 32min on a sweltering day on Rod Laver Arena.
Such was the lack of pressure that Djokovic even had the opportunity of playing a trick shot through his legs that Lorenzi netted.
Djokovic is bidding to become just the fifth man to win three consecutive Grand Slam titles in the Open Era joining Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Last year's Australian Open final triumph over Andy Murray was the first of seven straight tournament wins in a 41-match winning streak that was finally ended by Federer in the semifinals of the French Open.
Djokovic, 24, won a career-best 10 titles in 11 finals last year. He defeated world number two Nadal six times and overall was 21-4 against top-10 opponents.
Djokovic had few problems in winning 6-2, 6-0, 6-0 and will next play Colombia's Santiago Giraldo.
The Serbian world number one broke Lorenzi's service nine times in wrapping up his opening match in 1hr 32min on a sweltering day on Rod Laver Arena.
Such was the lack of pressure that Djokovic even had the opportunity of playing a trick shot through his legs that Lorenzi netted.
Djokovic is bidding to become just the fifth man to win three consecutive Grand Slam titles in the Open Era joining Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Last year's Australian Open final triumph over Andy Murray was the first of seven straight tournament wins in a 41-match winning streak that was finally ended by Federer in the semifinals of the French Open.
Djokovic, 24, won a career-best 10 titles in 11 finals last year. He defeated world number two Nadal six times and overall was 21-4 against top-10 opponents.
Third-seeded Belarusian Victoria Azarenka and reigning champion Li Na will clash in Friday's final at the $637,000 Sydney International tennis tournament, a final Australian Open tuneup.
The fourth-seeded Li prevented second-seeded Petra Kvitova from reaching No. 1 this week, as the Chinese slugger continued her winning ways at this tournament with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 semifinal victory on Day 5 at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre.
Li converted on 4-of-6 break-point chances, while saving 10-of-14 break opportunities for Kvitova, who could have overtaken Caroline Wozniacki as the top player in the world with a title here.
The 29-year-old Li appears to be relocating her game, which fell on hard times after she reached last year's Aussie Open final and captured her first-ever major title at the French Open.
The fourth-seeded Li prevented second-seeded Petra Kvitova from reaching No. 1 this week, as the Chinese slugger continued her winning ways at this tournament with a 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 semifinal victory on Day 5 at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre.
Li converted on 4-of-6 break-point chances, while saving 10-of-14 break opportunities for Kvitova, who could have overtaken Caroline Wozniacki as the top player in the world with a title here.
The 29-year-old Li appears to be relocating her game, which fell on hard times after she reached last year's Aussie Open final and captured her first-ever major title at the French Open.
Germany's world number 10 Andrea Petkovic has withdrawn from next week's Australian Open with a stress fracture of her lower back, tennis officials said on Wednesday.
Petkovic had a scan after her straight-sets loss to Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska in Tuesday's second round of the Sydney International.
The German becomes the second top women's player to pull out of the year-opening Grand Slam following American Venus Williams' exit earlier this week with an autoimmune disease.
"I've been having some back problems for the last three or four months," Petkovic said in a WTA statement.
"I've been struggling with it, but I've always believed it was going to be fine and so I pushed through the pain.
"The last two weeks in Australia I've been having bigger problems and I could only play for 30-45 minutes without pain."
Petkovic said Tuesday's scans detected a stress fracture in her lower back.
"The only thing I can do right now is rest and hope that the bone will heal as fast as possible," she said.
Petkovic said she had been advised her recovery could take between six to eight weeks.
"I'm positive this is going to be fine. I just need to take the time off to get better," he said.
"With this type of injury I'd rather take an additional week off, than start back a day early, and I need to be patient."
Petkovic said she will return to Germany later Wednesday to undergo further tests.
Petkovic had a scan after her straight-sets loss to Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska in Tuesday's second round of the Sydney International.
The German becomes the second top women's player to pull out of the year-opening Grand Slam following American Venus Williams' exit earlier this week with an autoimmune disease.
"I've been having some back problems for the last three or four months," Petkovic said in a WTA statement.
"I've been struggling with it, but I've always believed it was going to be fine and so I pushed through the pain.
"The last two weeks in Australia I've been having bigger problems and I could only play for 30-45 minutes without pain."
Petkovic said Tuesday's scans detected a stress fracture in her lower back.
"The only thing I can do right now is rest and hope that the bone will heal as fast as possible," she said.
Petkovic said she had been advised her recovery could take between six to eight weeks.
"I'm positive this is going to be fine. I just need to take the time off to get better," he said.
"With this type of injury I'd rather take an additional week off, than start back a day early, and I need to be patient."
Petkovic said she will return to Germany later Wednesday to undergo further tests.