Melbourne: Defending champion Kim Clijsters cruised into the third round of the Australian Open and then showed just how much support she has at Rod Laver Arena by getting the crowd to sing 'Happy Birthday' to her younger sister.
Clijsters only needed 47 minutes to beat Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France 6-0, 6-1 on Wednesday, conceding just 10 points in the first set and showing no signs of a hip complaint that forced her to retire during a semi-final against Daniela Hantuchova in a warm-up tournament at the Brisbane International two weeks ago.
She could meet Hantuchova in the next round here, and has a potential rematch of the 2011 Australian Open final with Li Na in the fourth.
French Open champion Li advanced to the third round with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Olivia Rogowska, making it her best run at a major since her breakthrough win at the French Open.
Li lost last year's Australian Open final to Kim Clijsters but rebounded at the subsequent major at Roland Garros to become the first player from China to win a Grand Slam singles title.
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