Fifth seed Petrova eases past Dulko

MELBOURNE, Jan 17 (Reuters) Russian fifth seed Nadia Petrova reached the Australian Open third round with an impressive 6-1 6-2 win over Argentina's Gisela Dulko today.

Petrova, who had lost both their previous matches, overpowered her South American opponent from the back of the court, securing victory in 59 minutes on Vodafone Arena.

The Russian, a quarter-finalist last year, capitalised on all five of her break points, breaking twice in the opening set and three times in the second.

The win set up a possible third-round clash with former champion Serena Williams.

REUTERS AY BD1121