<p>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 thirtysomething and teenager alike. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Sunscreen and icepacks were the order of the day on Thursday 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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Murray’s compatriot Laura Robson ousted Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 2-6, 6-3, 11-9 well past midnight, giving Britain two female players in the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time since 1991.<br /><br />Women’s defending champion and world number one Victoria Azarenka, 23, proceeded easily enough in the relative cool of the morning with a 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Greek Eleni Daniilidou. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />The American, odds-on favourite to de-throne 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. <br /><br />Federer, chasing an 18th major title here, will next face 20-year-old Bernard Tomic and the Swiss, who needed a fraction under two hours to beat Davydenko, was quick to warn the Australian that he was probably fitter than 10 years ago. “I’m much more experienced today. I know what I can expect from myself in terms of my level of play early on,” the second seed said. “I’m much stronger today physically clearly so I can always rely on that as well, extend the rallies, so don't have to be worried about that.” <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Frenchman 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 of Taiwan. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki was also feeling her age after her encounter with Croatian Donna Vekic, which she won witha 6-1, 6-4 verdict. <br /><br />Paes-Stepanek out<br /><br />India’s Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek were stunningly knocked out after going down 3-6, 5-7 to South African Kevin Anderson and Israeli Jonathan Erlich in round one.<br /></p>
<p>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 thirtysomething and teenager alike. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Sunscreen and icepacks were the order of the day on Thursday 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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Murray’s compatriot Laura Robson ousted Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 2-6, 6-3, 11-9 well past midnight, giving Britain two female players in the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time since 1991.<br /><br />Women’s defending champion and world number one Victoria Azarenka, 23, proceeded easily enough in the relative cool of the morning with a 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Greek Eleni Daniilidou. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />The American, odds-on favourite to de-throne 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. <br /><br />Federer, chasing an 18th major title here, will next face 20-year-old Bernard Tomic and the Swiss, who needed a fraction under two hours to beat Davydenko, was quick to warn the Australian that he was probably fitter than 10 years ago. “I’m much more experienced today. I know what I can expect from myself in terms of my level of play early on,” the second seed said. “I’m much stronger today physically clearly so I can always rely on that as well, extend the rallies, so don't have to be worried about that.” <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Frenchman 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 of Taiwan. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki was also feeling her age after her encounter with Croatian Donna Vekic, which she won witha 6-1, 6-4 verdict. <br /><br />Paes-Stepanek out<br /><br />India’s Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek were stunningly knocked out after going down 3-6, 5-7 to South African Kevin Anderson and Israeli Jonathan Erlich in round one.<br /></p>