Marat Safin hits a return to Bohdan Ulihrach during their second round match on Wednesday. Safin won 6-4, 6-1, 6-3. (AFP)

Melbourne: Roger Federer met unexpected resistance from Japanese qualifier Takao Suzuki on the way to taking his place in the third round at the Australian Open on Wednesday. So did Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova at the Melbourne Park.

The Swiss men?s world No. 1 and top seed was expected to cruise to a rapid-fire victory over the 203rd-ranking Suzuki, but he caught the Swiss ace on the hop with some delightful improvised tennis, replete with dazzling court speed, net-rushing tactics and deft strokemaking.

But Federer mastered the challenge, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 53 minutes to book his next match against Finland?s Jarkko Nieminen in the last 32.

Nieminen ended Thailand?s tennis hero Paradorn Srichaphan?s open campaign with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win earlier.

Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova on Wednesday shrugged off the doping row which has clouded her Australian Open campaign to follow former champion Serena Williams into the third round of the Grand Slam.

Reigning US Open champion and fifth seed in Melbourne, Kuznetsova crushed unseeded Marion Bartoli of France 6-2, 6-0 in a mere 40 minutes in a performance that matched the scorching hot temperatures.

Seventh seed Williams, the 2003 champion, needed just one game more and eight minutes longer to thrash Madagascar?s Dally Randriantefy 6-3, 6-0.

Four-time Melbourne champion Andre Agassi and last year?s runner-up Marat Safin also showed they could keep pace with the top women and raced into the third round with a minimum of fuss.

Agassi thrashed unseeded Rainer Schuettler 6-3, 6-1, 6-0.

But Sharapova struggled hard before the fourth seed overcame unseeded American Lindsay Lee-Waters 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.

Temperatures edged towards 35 degrees Celsius and second seed Amelie Mauresmo took a welcome break at the end of the second set of her match against teenager Dinara Safina, Marat Safin?s sister.

Mauresmo had got off to a slow start but returned refreshed after the break ? allowed under the tournament?s heat policy ? to beat a wilting Safina 2-6, 6-1, 6-0.

Kuznetsova seemed unfazed by all the attention. She smiled and happily signed autographs after her resounding win.

Kuznetsova and Sharapova were joined in the third round by unseeded Vera Douchevina and Evgenia Linetskaya. Douchevina, 18, upset ninth seed and compatriot Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-3, while Linetskaya hammered Slovak Martina Sucha 6-0, 6-2.

Fourth seed Safin, beaten Melbourne finalist in 2004 and 2002, stood up for the Russian men with a no-nonsense 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 defeat of Czech Bohdan Ulihrach to reach the third round.

Elena Baltacha became the first British woman to reach the third round of the Australian Open since Clare Wood in 1991. Baltacha beat Stephanie Cohen-Aloro of France 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.