Fifth seed James Blake continued his imperious run by casting aside fellow American Alex Kuznetsov 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in the second round.
Blake, who retained his Sydney International title last week, used terrific court coverage and pinpoint accuracy to see off the 19-year-old world number 216 on Rod Laver Arena in an hour and 21 minutes.
"I've continued to work hard, so I'm not surprised by the fact I continue to get better," said Blake, who crushed former world number one Carlos Moya in his opening-round match.
"It's just a matter of competing consistently on the tour, and being at the top of my game. It seems like that in finals, in big matches, in semis, and now it's a matter of taking it to a grand slam."
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