All change for Williams

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Williams overcame a poor serving performance to advance to the third round with a 6-3 6-1 win over China's Meng Yuan on a day when world number one Justin Henin and 2006 Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo also advanced to the round of 32.

"It feels nothing like last year," the number seven seed said. "It's so different - but I'm still enjoying every moment, like I was last year. I just want to win; I just want to fight - that's how I always am."

Williams, the eight-time Grand Slam winner and three-time Australian Open champion, surprisingly had a first-serve percentage of just 51 against Yuan - yet it scarcely mattered.

Williams will now meet Belarus' Victoria Azarenka next, after the latter beat German Sandra Kloesel 6-1 6-1 - and a semi-final meeting with Henin, 6-1 7-5 winner over Russian Olga Putchkova, now seems inevitable.

Henin is eyeing her second Australian Open crown and will now meet Francesca Schiavone in the third round, after the Italian beat German Angelique Kerber 6-2 6-3.

The seven-time Grand Slam winner admitted that winning a second Australian Open crown to go with her 2004 success is a key ambition.

"I'd love to win every Grand Slam two times, so it means a lot to me," Henin said. "Maybe Wimbledon means a little bit more to me - because it's the only one I have never won - but all Grand Slams are important to me."

There were two big casualties on Wednesday, in 2004 Australian Open semi-finalist Patty Schnyder and France's number 13 seed Tatiana Golovin.

Schnyder, the Swiss number 15 seed, was beaten by Australia's Casey Dellacqua 4-6 7-5 8-6 - while Golovin went down to her compatriot Aravane Rezai 6-3 3-6 6-3.