Chinese tennis player Zheng Jie (left) gives teammate Yan Zi a five during their second round match at the Australian Open on Friday, January 19, 2007. The Chinese defending champions won the match 6-1, 6-1.   Jan.20 - China's top pair, Zheng Jie and Yan Zi, have taken the next step towards defending their title and breezed into the third round of Australian Open.

 

They are the second Chinese team in the third round after Sun Shengnan and Sun Tiantian.

 

The No. 2 seeded duo got off to a slow start and the first game was broken by their opponents, Vasilisa Bardina from Russia and Alicja Rosolska from Poland. But defending champions fought back bravely and won the first set 6-1.

 

The pair continued to control the second. After breaking their opponents twice, they dominated the set early with a 3-0 lead. Bardina and Rosolska launched the occasional counterattack but failed to regain lost ground. Zhang Jie and Yan Zi won the set 6-1.

 

In the next round, Zheng Jie and Yan Zi will face the 14th seeded pair Elena Dementieva from Russia and Flavia Pennetta from Italy or Belgian Tsvetana Pironkova and Slovakian Martina Sucha.