Two time Miami Open winner Victoria Azarenka crushed Serbia's Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 6-1 in the second round at Key Biscayne on Friday.
The clash of two former world number ones was expected to be a close battle but Azarenka, winner in Miami in 2009 and 2011, wrapped up the first set in just 28 minutes.
Although Jankovic, runner-up at Indian Wells last week, put up some late resistance and forced a 12-deuce game as Azarenka served for the match, the Belarusian's win was never in doubt.
"The score looks easy but it is never easy to maintain this kind of focus and quality against a player like Jelena," said Azarenka.
Third seed Simona Halep, who beat Jankovic in the Indian Wells final, suffered a scare in the second set against Nicole Vaidisova but recovered to progress to the third round.
Halep, whose win in the BNP Paribas Open was her third title of the year so far, triumphed 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 against the Czech.
Vaidisova was playing in her first tournament in four years after she said she was retiring from the sport.
Halep will next face Camila Giorgi next after the Italian beat Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck 6-3, 6-2.
Nadal, Murray advance
Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray got their Miami Open bids off to a solid start with straight sets victories at Key Biscayne on Friday.
Nadal defeated fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-2 in 89 minutes in windy conditions as he began his campaign to finally win the Miami tournament where he has lost in the final on three occassions.
Murray had little trouble dealing with American Donald Young in his opening match with a 6-4, 6-2 victory. Murray, a two-time winner at Key Biscyane, broke left-hander Young four times as he wrapped up the win in 82 minutes. The Scot will face Santiago Giraldo in the next round after the Colombian beat Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. Murray is looking for his 10th Masters 1000 title and his third trophy in Miami, having won in 2009 and 2013. Key Biscayne is something of a ‘home court’ for Murray, who practices at the venue during his off-season preparation. “I spend hours, hundreds and hundreds of hours, practicing on that court," he said.
Over the last seven, eight years, I have spent a lot of time on it." South Korean teenager Chung Hyeon, who gained his first ATP World Tour win on Wednesday, was beaten by eighth seed Tomas Berdych, the Czech triumphing 6-3, 6-4.
Berdych will face the 25th-seeded Bernard Tomic, who edged American Austin Krajicek 7-6(6), 7-5.
