Radwanska, who won last week´s WTA event in Auckland, New Zealand, secured an early break over the veteran Japanese player despite coping with searing temperatures that topped 100 degrees at Olympic Park.[break]
´´This is too hot to play tennis,´´ Radwanska said when asked whether matches should be put on hold at the warm-up event for the Australian Open. ´´Even for players, for ball kids, for the people sitting out there, it´s just too hot.´´
Radwanska said she was trying not to alter her game in the tough conditions, acknowledging that she had more of a battle against the heat than her opponent.
´´The first main thing is just to stay calm and trying to survive,´´ said the 2012 Wimbledon finalist, who said she has experienced similar conditions at Melbourne Park during the Australian Open.
The Sydney tournament has an ´´Extreme Heat Policy´´ but it only comes into effect at the discretion of the tournament referee. Tennis officials apply a complex formula to such decisions, factoring in heat, humidity and wind to determine when on-court conditions become too stressful for players.
In other women´s matches, third-seeded Sara Errani of Italy and fourth-seeded Li Na of China easily advanced to the quarterfinals. Errani beat Russia´s Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-1, while Li, who was pushed to two sets in beating American Christina McHale in the first round Monday, dominated Ayumi Morita of Japan 6-1, 6-0.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who had to qualify, beat former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-2, while American qualifier Madison Keys defeated Zheng Jie of China 6-0, 6-4.
In first-round men´s play, sixth-seeded Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-2, 6-3, and Spain´s Feliciano Lopez beat seventh-seeded Jeremy Chardy of France 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-3.
Jarkko Nieminen of Finland beat qualifier Bjorn Phau of Germany 6-0, 6-1, and Australian wild-card entry John Millman beat Spain´s Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-4.
Top-seeded John Isner, who received a first-round bye, will play his second-round match against fellow American and qualifier Ryan Harrison. Harrison was leading Roberto Bautista Agut 2-1 in the opening set Tuesday when the Spaniard pulled out with a lower abdominal strain.
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