World number one Iga Swiatek needed just 55 minutes to beat Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa and advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Poland’s Swiatek, 21, won 6-0 6-1 at Margaret Court Arena and next faces Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Third seed Jessica Pegula also picked up a quick victory on Friday, taking 65 minutes to beat Marta Kostyuk 6-0 6-2.
seventh seed Coco Gauff advanced with a 6-3 6-2 win over fellow American Bernarda Pera.
Reigning French and US Open champion Swiatek said of her tough encounter with Rybakina: “We know each other quite well. For me, it doesn’t matter who it is against. I just want to stay focused on myself.”
Pegula will face the 2021 Roland-Garros singles champion Barbora Krejcikova for a place in the quarter-finals, while Gauff plays the winner of Roland Garros 2017 Jelena Ostapenko.
Czech Krejcikova beat Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina 6-2 6-3, while Latvia’s Ostapenko won 6-3 6-0 against Kalinina’s compatriot Kateryna Baindl.
Rybakina beat last year’s Melbourne runner-up Danielle Collins 6-2 5-7 6-2, with two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka also in action later on day five at Melbourne Park.
