Victoria Azarenka and Garbine Muguruza continued their sizzling form by scorching through the second round of the Australian Open, moving a step closer to a potential last 16 showdown.
Azarenka came to Melbourne Park on the back of a win at the Brisbane warm-up event, her first tournament since last September, and hammered Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck 6-0 6-0 in the first round.
On Thursday, the 26-year-old was almost as clinical with a 6-1 6-2, 63-minute thrashing of Montenegro's Danka Kovinic on Margaret Court Arena.
Two years of injury and less than stellar form have left Azarenka languishing at number 16 in the world and that is why she is seeded to meet Muguruza as early the fourth round, if she can get past rising talent Naomi Osaka.
Spanish third seed Muguruza has been in almost as convincing form in her fourth trip to Melbourne Park, easing past Anett Kontaveit 6-0 6-4 in the opening round and demolishing Kirsten Flipkens 6-4 6-2 on Tuesday.
"It's a great win," she said. "I know Kirsten. I knew it was going to be like a complicated match, because she doesn't have the common style of other women on the tour.
"So I'm pretty happy about my performance."
While Muguruza will need to get past Barbara Strycova to match her best performance at Melbourne Park, Azarenka has a lot further to go to match her title-winning runs of 2012 and 2013.
"I think I'm feeling in the best shape body-wise, you know, spirit-wise, everything-wise. You know, my team around me, too," she said.
"(But) I don't really remember how I felt back then because I think it was different stage of my career."
As for whether she was the in-form player in the women's draw so far, Azarenka was not about to be seduced by such thoughts.
"Talk is just opinions," she said. "It's not facts. I say that you always have to go out there and you have to prove yourself. You have to play and you have to win."
Elsewhere, former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic was shaken up when a spectator was injured falling down the stairs on Rod Laver Arena but recovered her composure to ease into the third round.
The first set between the Serbian and her opponent Anastasija Sevastova was held up for 26 minutes as the woman was treated by medical staff in the stands of the showcourt.
"I felt really bad. I was really shaking, because the sound of the lady falling was really loud. I could hear it. I stopped immediately," Ivanovic said after her 6-3 6-3 victory.
Meanwhile, British number one Johanna Konta has beaten China's Saisai Zheng 6-2 6-3 in their second round match..
