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Keys waltzes to victory over Alexandrova

Melbourne - US Open finalist Madison Keys was happy to get out of the heat after barely breaking sweat in registering a rapid 6-0, 6-1 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova on Thursday.

Keys took the first set against her Russian second-round opponent in a whirlwind 16 minutes as temperatures brushed 40 Celsius at the Australian Open

It seemed the world number 92 might suffer the ignominy of the tournament's first "double bagel" when 5-0 down in the second. 

But the 25-year-old, who lives in Prague, gathered herself and was almost in tears after she finally broke her duck in the 12th game of the match to avoid a 6-0, 6-0 embarrassment.

Keys soon closed it out after just 41 minutes and was glad to be heading out of the Margaret Court Arena furnace.

 "I played well in the first service game and kept it going from there," the 17th seed said. "I'm glad I didn't spend too long out on the heat." 

Keys is the only survivor in the draw from last year's four American US Open semi-finalists after Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens and CoCo Vandeweghe all exited in the first round. 

She next faces 104th-ranked Romanian journeywoman Ana Bogdan who is in the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career after beating Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday.

Results from the Australian Open on Thursday:

Men's singles

2nd round

Albert Ramos (ESP x21) bt Tim Smyczek (USA) 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/2)

Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Sam Querrey (USA x13) 6-4, 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 6-2

Nicolas Kicker (ARG) bt Lukas Lacko (SVK) 6-2, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5

Dominic Thiem (AUT x5) bt Denis Kudla (USA) 6-7 (6/8), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3

Tomas Berdych (CZE x19) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3

Fabio Fognini (ITA x25) bt Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1

Adrian Mannarino (FRA x26) bt Jiri Vesely (CZE) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-3

Novak Djokovic (SRB x14) bt Gael Monfils (FRA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3

Chung Hye-On (KOR) bt Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 6-1

Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt David Goffin (BEL x7) 1-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, 7-6 (7/4)

Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG x12) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS) 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (0/7), 6-4

Women's singles

2nd round

Bernarda Pera (USA) bt Johanna Konta (GBR x9) 6-4, 7-5

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE x20) bt Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) 6-3, 6-4

Maria Sharapova (RUS) bt Anastasija Sevastova (LAT x14) 6-1, 7-6 (7/4)

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x26) bt Lesya Tsurenko (UKR) 2-6, 7-5, 6-3

Caroline Garcia (FRA x8) bt Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 8-6

Lauren Davis (USA) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 4-6, 6-0, 6-0

Lucie Safarova (CZE x29) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROM) 6-2, 6-4

Karolina Pliskova (CZE x6) bt Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) 6-1, 6-1

Hsieh Su-wei (TPE) bt Garbine Muguruza (ESP x3) 7-6 (7/1), 6-4

Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) bt Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO x28) 6-3, 6-1

Angelique Kerber (GER x21) bt Donna Vekic (CRO) 6-4, 6-1

Ana Bogdan (ROM) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 1-6, 6-2, 6-3

Naomi Osaka (JPN) bt Elena Vesnina (RUS x16) 7-6 (7/4), 6-2

Madison Keys (USA x17) bt Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) 6-0, 6-1

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