Defending champion Serena Williams proceeded to the third round yesterday, but was still a long way from her formidable best, dropping the first set against the Romanian Simona Halep. There was no weeping when she finally prevailed 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, as there had been after her first-round victory, but her father Richard was eager to cast some perspective on her progress. Following the emergency surgery earlier this year to remove a blood clot in her lungs, he said that "whether she ever wins again or loses every match she plays, I'm just thanking God that she is alive".

Kim Clijsters, the favourite to win the women's singles title here at the Australian Open, has a chance tomorrow to erase the memory of her biggest defeat in a Grand Slam tournament. For the second year in succession the 27-year-old Belgian faces a third-round meeting with Russia's Nadia Petrova, who 12 months ago crushed her 6-0, 6-1.

Serbia’s men hold the Davis Cup and it was not so long ago that their women were also threatening to rule the world. Ana Ivanovic, French Open champion in 2008 and three times a Grand Slam finalist, and Jelena Jankovic, beaten in the US Open final the same year, both had spells on top of the world rankings. After two rounds of this year’s Australian Open, however, both are on their way home.

The contrasting directions in the careers of "Aussie Kim" and "Aussie Ana", two of the crowd favourites at the Australian Open, were underlined by their performances here yesterday.

The careers of Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters have followed intertwining paths ever since the two Belgians first faced one another, aged nine and eight, in a junior tournament in Ostend.

There were times yesterday when Justine Henin might have cast her mind back three years to her last appearance at the All England Club. The then world No 1 was an overwhelming favourite to win her 2007 semi-final against Marion Bartoli, particularly after coasting through the first set in 22 minutes and breaking serve in the opening game of the second, but melted as quickly as a Belgian chocolate in the Centre Court sunshine. Henin's defeat was one of the most remarkable results in Wimbledon history and her only loss in a 42-match sequence from the start of the French Open to the end of the 2007 season.

Andy Murray has been insisting that he has not been concerned by his lack of victories on clay this season and the Scot showed at the Madrid Masters last night that there is little wrong with his current form. Murray recorded only his second win of the clay-court season when he beat Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 6-3. He now plays Romania's Victor Hanescu in the third round.

Serena Williams produced a battling display yesterday to overcome thigh and back injuries and beat Vera Dushevina at the Madrid Open, recovering from a set and a match point down to win 6-7, 7-6, 7-6.

Jelena Jankovic destroyed the prospect of an all-Williams semi-final at the Italian Open by blitzing Venus 6-0, 6-1 in Rome last night.

Serena Williams easily dispatched Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-4 as she continued to gather momentum on her return from injury by reaching the last four of the Italian Open.

Reigning US Open champion Kim Clijsters was among the seeds to progress to the women's singles third round at the Australian Open in Melbourne today.

Former world No.1 Justine Henin says she has matured during her 20-month break from tennis and can be a better player when she makes a return to the sport next week.

World number two Rafa Nadal's comeback came to a shuddering halt today when he was crushed 6-1 6-3 by Croatian Marin Cilic in the semi-finals of the $6.6m (£4.1m) China Open.