Serena thrashes Kvitova at Melbourne Park

World number one Serena Williams galloped into the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday after she made short work of Petra Kvitova with a 6-2 6-1 victory.

The top seed and defending champion was rarely bothered by the tall left-handed Czech teenager, and set up a third round clash with the potentially dangerous Carla Suarez Navarro, who beat Williams' older sister Venus at Melbourne Park last year. Kvitova did not have the best build-up for the tournament. She withdrew from the Auckland Classic with tonsillitis and was knocked out in qualifying for Hobart — a tournament she won in 2009 — before she beat American Jill Craybas in the first round.

Williams, however, was ruthlessly efficient on Thursday winning more than 90% of her first service points and breaking Kvitova on four occasions to win the match in 67 minutes when the Czech's angled forehand landed just wide.