Li Na of China hits a returns during her women's singles second round match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland at the 2014 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne Australia, on Jan. 15, 2014. Li Na won 2-0. (Xinhua/Li Jundong) |
MELBOURNE, Jan. 15 -- Fourth seed Li Na won 7-5 in the tiebreak of the second set to beat Swiss qualifier Belinda Bencic in straight sets to advance into the third round here on Wednesday at the Australian Open.
The two-time runner-up dominated the first set, playing only 22 minutes to win 6-0 without dropping a game and conceding only 10 points.
Bencic put up more of a challenge in the second set and broke Li twice to force a tiebreak. But Li prevailed to win 7-5.
The 2011 French Open champion defeated 16-year-old Ana Konjuh, the youngest player in the tournament, by dropping just two games in the first round. After Wednesday's victory over Bencic, the Chinese completed back-to-back wins over the two youngest players in the draw. Konjuh and Bencic shared the four junior majors in 2013.
Li's potential third-round opponent will be the 26th seed Lucie Safarova, who will play against qualifier compatriot Lucie Hradecka later on Wednesday.
Day|Week|Month