Melbourne: Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki was in ominous touch on Thursday as she blasted into the Australian Open third round to set up a blockbuster meeting with Britain's Johanna Konta.
The 17th seed, angling for her first Grand Slam title, smashed Donna Vekic 6-1, 6-3 at the Rod Laver Arena, barely putting a foot wrong.
Her reward for beating Croatia's Vekic, whose boyfriend Stan Wawrinka was watching from the sidelines, is a showdown with Konta, who has also been in fine fettle.
"It's such a great court. Always amazing playing the biggest courts in tennis," she said, of once again being on centre court at Melbourne Park.
She came out of the gates flying against 20-year-old Vekic, ranked 99 in the world, and raced to a 5-0 lead in a one-sided contest before the Croat got on the scoreboard.
"I know how she played and knew what to expect," she said of Vekic. "I practise with her sometimes and I just tried to stay focused."
Wozniacki's performance so far in Melbourne has been a welcome relief for a player who had been on a depressing downward slide at the first Grand Slam of the year.
She made the semis in 2011 but regressed one stage each year since, exiting in the quarter-finals in 2012, then the fourth round, all the way to a first-round departure 12 months ago.(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - AFP)
