Sharapova stops Davenport; Nadal, Serena advance; Henin's streak hits 30

No. 3 Jelena Jankovic, who had to save three match points in a 22-game third set in the first round, had a routine 6-2, 7-5 win over Edina Gallovits in the second round.

Serena Williams made a comeback of her own last year, capturing an eighth Grand Slam title with an emphatic victory over Sharapova in the Australia Open final only three weeks after one of her worst career losses in a tournament at Hobart. She was ranked No. 81 and was only the second unseeded woman to win a Grand Slam title.

Now ranked No. 7, she's growing in confidence for an Australian title defense. She improved her record to 25-1 in her five most recent trips to Melbourne Park with a 6-3, 6-1 win over China's Yuan Meng.

Sister Venus, whose first-round win was her first at Melbourne Park since a fourth-round exit in 2005, is in the opposite half of the draw.

Venus, ranked No. 8, plays Camil Pin first up on Vodafone Arena on Thursday, with No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova beginning play on center court against Tsvetana Pironkova.

Roger Federer is next at Rod Laver Arena against French veteran Fabrice Santoro, playing in a record 62nd Grand Slam tournament. Federer has reached the finals of the last 10 majors, winning eight of those to move within two of Pete Sampras' record 14 Grand Slam titles. He's 27-1 at the season's opening major since the start of 2004.

Two men who beat him last season, No. 3 Novak Djokovic and No. 10 David Nalbandian, also play in the second round Thursday.

No. 2 Rafael Nadal, the only man to beat Federer in the last 10 majors - both times in the French Open finals - made the third round with a 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Frenchman Florent Serra. The Spaniard is enjoying extra bite on his heavy slice and topspin on the new, blue Plexicushion surface. His only major titles have come on the red clay of Roland Garros.

Andy Roddick's only major title was the U.S. Open in 2003. Since February the following year, he's been in the pack chasing Federer. He fired 10 aces and hit 34 winners in a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Germany's Michael Berrer in Wednesday's last match. Despite a nearly flawless performance, his two swings and misses drew the crowd's attention.

"I wanted everyone here to relate a little bit," he joked. "I have no other reason."

Mardy Fish, Roddick's friend and Davis Cup teammate, ousted No. 11 Tommy Robredo 6-1, 6-2, 6-3.

Also advancing were No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko, No. 14 Mikhail Youzhny, No. 20 Ivo Karlovic and No. 23 Paul-Henri Mathieu also advanced.

On the women's side, 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo needed 10 match points to beat Yaroslava Shvedova and advanced with No. 11 Elena Dementieva, No. 12 Nicole Vaidisova and No. 17 Shahar Peer.

Davenport will now pack her tennis gear and baby accessories and head for Fed Cup duties, then some tournaments in the United States. Having Jagger and husband Jon Leach around gives her a healthy perspective on wins and losses.

"I still feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world," she said.

Sharapova was the first Grand Slam winner she played since her comeback, and Davenport acknowledged the Russian was "head and shoulders above me." Still, she thinks she can get back to the top 10 by the end of the year.

"I obviously need a lot more tournaments to play and need to improve my level," she said. "But I totally believe I can achieve that."