Aryna Sabalenka showed why she is a serious contender for the Australian Open on Thursday by powering into the third round with her serving woes of 12 months ago firmly consigned to history.
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The Belarusian swept past 51st-ranked American Shelby Rogers 6-3, 6-1 in an hour and 27 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
Sabalenka, who reached the semifinals at the US Open last year, extended her 2023 unbeaten record to six matches after winning the recent Adelaide International without dropping a set.
It is a marked contrast to the start of last season when her serve completely deserted her, reducing her to tears during an Australian Open warm-up event and rocking her confidence to the core.
Sabalenka served three aces against Rogers but, tellingly, no double faults. She talked openly about the hard work involved in turning her fortunes around.
"I worked a lot on my serve. You can't even imagine," she told reporters.
"Oh my God, I did I think almost everything to trying to fix my serve. Like, the whole year we were trying different things mentally, mental stuff, technique, technical, trying to breathe differently.
"I was watching a lot of videos of my serve. Yeah, and we just start working with a biomechanic guy at the end of last year, and it's helped.
"I'm just super happy right now that everything is working."
Sabalenka and Shelby had clashed twice previously, both last year, with the Belarusian edging each – the most recent a three-set, 2hr 35min epic on hard courts in Cincinnati.
"She's such a great player, always tough matches against her," said fifth seed Sabalenka.
"I expected a great level from her. That's why I said to myself to stay focused from the beginning to the end and probably that's why I was able to win this one in two sets."
There was little between the pair again in a 54-minute opening set on Thursday with only a pivotal eighth game separating them.
AVALANCHE OF WINNERS
It went to five deuces on Shelby's serve before a rasping crosscourt forehand and a scream of "Come on!" from Sabalenka brought up a third break point.
She converted for a 5-3 lead and served out the set to love.
Sabalenka kept up the pressure on Shelby's serve at the start of the second set, breaking for a 2-1 lead.
The Belarusian was now on a roll, peppering Shelby with an avalanche of winners off both wings – at one point hitting six in a row in her tally of 32 for the match.
"I didn't really try to go for all those winners," admitted Sabalenka who will take some stopping in this form.
"I was just picking the target and I was, like, OK, I'll go there. That's it."
Her power surge enabled her to break twice more, ending the contest in style by ripping a backhand crosscourt pass on her first match point.
She is aiming to get past the last 16 in the Australian Open for the first time and will next play the 26th seed from Belgium Elise Mertens who beat American Lauren Davis 6-4, 6-3.
"I've played a lot of matches against Mertens and I always had tough battles," said Sabalenka.
BENCIC BLUSTERS THROUGH TO THIRD ROUND
In-form Belinda Bencic's bid to become only the second Swiss woman to win the Australian Open stayed on track, but only after an erratic 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 win over American Claire Liu in the second round.
The 25-year-old came to Melbourne Park on the back of lifting her seventh career title in Adelaide, a win that propelled her back into the world's top 10.
But the 12th seed initially cut a grumpy figure, finding herself 5-2 and two set points down to the world number 62 in blustery conditions on Margaret Court Arena.
Bencic saved both, the second courtesy of a nervy Liu double fault.
Then after being urged to stay patient by her coach Dimitry Tursunov from the players' box, Bencic clawed her way back and took the set on a tiebreak after 72 minutes.
The Swiss tried to put her foot down at the start of the second set, breaking the 22-year-old Liu twice, but failed to consolidate the advantage each time.
When a third break came, however, Bencic made sure to hold her own, eventually taking the match in an hour and 51 minutes to extend her 2023 win-loss record to 6-1.
"I'm super happy with today's win because I thought it was a very difficult match," she said after a scrappy battle punctuated by nine breaks of serve and 21 unforced errors to her opponent's 41.
"I had to really fight as my opponent was playing very well and wasn't making it easy for me but I'm happy I stayed tough and I have another win."
The only Swiss woman to lift the Australian Open winner's Daphne Akhurst Cup previously is Martina Hingis, who did so in 1997, '98 and '99.
Bencic's best result in 10 previous Australian Open appearances was a run to the fourth round, in 2016.
Bencic moves on to play Italy's Camila Giorgi on Saturday for a place in the last 16.
JABEUR SENT PACKING
Second seed Ons Jabeur crashed out of the second round after an error-strewn display in a 6-1 5-7 6-1 loss to former French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova.
The Tunisian, who stormed up the rankings last year after runs to the final at Wimbledon and the US Open, sprayed 50 unforced errors and had her serve broken eight times in the 102 minute contest.
There were only flashes of the brilliant racket skills that have made her such a favourite on the WTA tour as Vondrousova matched everything Jabeur threw at her on a chilly evening on Rod Laver Arena.
Jabeur saved some face by breaking the Olympic silver medallist when she was serving for the match for the first time but Vondrousova broke straight back to move on to a third-round meeting with fellow Czech Linda Fruhvirtova.