Novak Djokovic strolls into third round

The world No 1 showed no signs of the illness which hampered him in recent weeks, wrapping up a 6-0 6-1 6-4 win over the outgunned Russian in just one hour and 24 minutes.

In a one-sided first set, Djokovic reeled off the first six games without reply and then piled on the pressure in the second with three more.

Kuznetsov finally made a mark on the scoreboard, but was brushed aside for a 2-0 lead and struggled to hold off Djokovic, who conceded only 19 unforced errors.

The Serb sealed victory in the third set after securing his seventh service break, finishing with 28 winners, and will next face either Spanish 31st seed Fernando Verdasco or Japan's Go Soeda in the third round. 

Djokovic, who is targeting a record fifth title, preserved his record of reaching the third round at Melbourne Park for a ninth consecutive year.

"After my first-round match I was hoping to have this kind of performance, especially the opening two sets," he said. "Everything went as I planned and wished and hopefully I can stay on this path.

"(Kuznetsov) is a very talented player. He's still young and he's of the generation of my younger brother (Marko) who knows him well, so I spoke to him because I had not seen Kuznetsov play a lot."

The 27-year-old has dropped just two sets over the first and second rounds since 2007 and admits he relishes playing in the first major competition of the year.

"Generally this is my most successful grand slam and the tournament where over the years I've performed my best tennis," the 27-year-old said. "The reason? I think there is not one reason. A few reasons together.

"Probably the fact that I enjoy the conditions of play. Even though the last two years the courts have played faster, significantly faster than they were before, still I do enjoy being here in Australia. Some nice, positive, easy-going, sport-oriented energy going around. People appreciate the sport and make you feel good.

"Of course it's the beginning of the year. It's the first big tournament. Everybody comes fresh and motivated. I guess in this kind of package it's a combination of things that make me feel comfortable on the court here."

culled from skysport.com