By Peter Hanlon and Martin Boulton
Samantha Stosur's tennis in the lead-up to the Australian Open was not vastly dissimilar to the serve she sends down in that TV ad the host broadcaster has on high rotation: liable to splinter into many pieces, none of which go where she had intended. A return to her home championships is gradually working some rejuvenated magic.
The tournament's 13th seed displayed a growing command of her game in disposing of German Kristina Barrois 7-5, 6-3. The performance wasn't flawless, but the tentativeness evident in her wobbly three-set win over Chinese qualifier Xinyun Han on Tuesday was rarely seen. ''It's the third round, I hope I am!'' Stosur said when asked if she was settling in. ''I'm feeling pretty good, and really happy with the way I'm winning.''
With the expectation that comes with her ranking, Stosur knows that while simply winning is enough for now, the need to cast the gaze forward to the bigger names that await her is unavoidable. She faces Sabine Lisicki in the next round, then the gargantuan speed hump that is Serena Williams in the fourth.
''Every time you play out here you feel a little bit more comfortable,'' she said of her well-supported 84-minute toil on Rod Laver Arena.
Her growing ease was evident against the German in crisp ball-striking and increased assuredness at the net. Closing out four of her 11 services games with aces was another good sign.
Williams had less trouble than someone sporting heavy bandages on both upper and lower legs might have in brushing aside Czech Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-1, and will now play the 32nd-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro.
Big sister Venus expended a little more energy against Sybille Bammer, a 30-year-old Austrian who has been around for so long she obtained her first ranking in 1995. It was 843 back then, peaked at 19 two years ago, and is hovering in the 50s now. She'd also beaten Serena in Cincinnati last year, none of which mattered much to seven-time grand slam champion Williams, who blitzed her 6-2 in the opening set before taking the second 7-5.
The 29-year-old predictably had more firepower - as evidenced by her 32 winners to Bammer's four - although like Stosur she still has much to work on; Venus hit 24 unforced errors in her one hour, 37-minute stay on court, Bammer a relatively polished 16. ''I don't necessarily like to put a lot of importance on if I played well one day or not,'' Williams said. ''So if I have a good day or not as good a day, I just put that behind me and get ready for the next match.''
A similar approach would serve Stosur well, although even if she's not asking it herself, those on the outside will continue to wonder: is her game coming together quickly enough to match it with the best, or is each preliminary win here merely a stay of execution?