Federer becomes dominating again

Roger Federer made sure he did not repeat his lapses from his opening match in today’s second-round win over Jonas Bjorkman at the Australian Open.

Andy Roddick also lifted his act, and Serena Williams moved into the third round with another straight-sets win.

Defending champion Federer advanced, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, improving to 5-0 against Bjorkman without dropping a set, and shedding the nervous start he made when he dropped serve three times in his opening set of the tournament.

Sixth-seeded Roddick got over his temper tantrum of the first round, when he dropped the first set against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and argued calls with the umpire, to beat another Frenchman, Marc Gicquel, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Roddick, who lost the U.S. Open final to Federer last September, fired 18 aces and did not drop serve in his two-hour win over Gicquel.

Williams, who won the last of her seven Grand Slam titles here in 2005, rallied from 1-4 in the tiebreaker in her 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over Luxembourg’s Anne Kremer.

“It was tough to start with, she was really serious and played really well,” Williams said. “I definitely feel like I’m getting better with each match.”

Unlike his opening match against Bjorn Phau, Federer came out sharp, ripping six forehand winners in the first three games as he jumped to a 3-0 lead that he never relinquished.

He had a stretch of three service games spanning the second and third sets when he did not give up a point.

Roddick and Gicquel got in plenty of work on their groundstrokes, engaging in long rallies and moving each other from sideline to sideline.

But Roddick had too much power, particularly on his serve. After fending off three break points in the first set, he never faced another. He steadily cranked up his serve, shouting “Yes!” after smacking an ace to finish off the second-set tiebreaker. He had three more in the next game.

He broke Gicquel in the last game to secure a place in he third round.

“I’m always a little edgy in the first rounds,” Roddick said. “Today, it felt like there was some good stuff.”

Federer could meet U.S. Open semifinalist Mikhail Youzhny in the third round and possibly get a fourth-round match against 14th-seeded Novak Djokovic, who beat Feliciano Lopez, 6-2, 7-5, 6-1.

Fifth-seeded James Blake beat Carlos Moya, 7-6 (8), 6-2, 6-4, four days after defeating him to win the Sydney International title.

Lletyon Hewitt’s annual bid to be the first Australian man since 1976 to win the tournament got off to a stuttering start before he rallied to beat qualifier Michael Russell, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

Also under the closed roof, fourth-seeded Kim Clijsters downed Vasilisa Bardina, 6-0, 6-0, and three-time champion Martina Hingis beat Nathalie Dechy, 6-0, 6-2.

Thailand’s Danai Udomchoke upset Juan Carlos Fererro, 7-6 (0), 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, to take another former world No. 1 out of the equation.

A former Australian Open champion tumbled, with 2002 winner Thomas Johansson losing, 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-2, to No. 16 David Ferrer in four sets.

The heat that forced dozens of matches to be delayed until after sundown on Tuesday, had relented by this morning, with matches on all courts starting on time in temperatures around 90 degrees.