Djokovic says he is still getting used to a new racquet

Top seed Novak Djokovic beat Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-1 6-2 in the second round of the Sydney International on Wednesday.

It was a welcome pre-Australian Open fillip for the Serb, who lost in straight sets in the first round of last week's Brisbane International.

Second seed Gilles Simon lost 6-4 6-4 to fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

In the women's event, top seed Serena Williams saved two match points before beating Caroline Wozniacki 6-7 6-3 7-6.

Djokovic, who blamed last week's defeat by Ernests Gulbis on a new racquet, was still far from perfect on serve against Mathieu, but the Frenchman was only able to take advantage of three out of seven break points.

606: DEBATE With a new racquet came new rhythm and what looks like a very powerful forehand TheOpinion

Argentina's David Nalbandian also swept into the quarter-finals with a 6-1 6-3 win over France's Michael Llodra.

But Jeremy Chardy made it three Frenchman into the last eight, upsetting fifth seed Igor Andreev of Russia 6-4 4-6 6-4.

Seventh-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo was thrashed 6-2 6-1 by Mario Ancic, and the Croatian will next play Djokovic.

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt and Finland's Jarkko Nieminen also posted victories on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals.

In the women's quarter-finals, Williams saved two match points in the 12th game of the final set before beating Denmark's Wozniacki.

Williams, who saved four match points in her first-round match against Samantha Stosur of Australia, needed two hours, 40 minutes to set up a semi-final against third seed Elena Dementieva.

Russia's Dementieva beat number six seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-2 5-7 6-4.

Second seed Dinara Safina of Russia beat France's Alize Cornet 6-3 6-4. Cornet saved four match points in the final game before Safina closed the match out on serve.

Safina will play veteran Ai Sugiyama of Japan in the last four. Sugiyama received a walkover when former US Open champion and fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia withdrew with an abdominal strain.

Kuznetsova said the injury flared up during serves and backhands, and that her physiotherapist had advised a few days of rest before she tests herself again in Melbourne.

At the Auckland Open, top seed Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, playing his first match of the year, looked rusty in beating Latvia's Gulbis 4-6 6-4 6-1.

Defending champion Philipp Kohlschreiber fought back from a third-set break of serve to beat Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4 4-6 7-6 in a second-round clash.

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