It was the hottest day of the tournament in Melbourne, and as the event has progressed, some of the favorites have turned the heat up as well.

Venus impresses in win

After a drop in the rankings, Venus Williams has worked her way back to a No. 18 seed at the Australian Open. On Thursday, she met a much smaller yet feisty Lauren Davis as the two Americans looked for a place in the third round. It was Williams who prevailed 6-2 6-3.

The 6’1” Williams presented an imposing stature compared to the 5’2” Davis, but the 21-year-old American stepped up and slugged groundstrokes with Williams early, earning a break. However, Williams found her rhythm and began to move Davis around the court with her powerful groundstrokes. Williams rattled off six games in a row to take the first set.

In the second set, Davis broke Williams early again. But much as in the first set, the 34-year-old quickly regained it. Williams had the young American’s serve measured for most of the match and broke Davis five times. She gained control of the set and dictated play throughout on her way to the win. The veteran displayed too much firepower for the Ohio native to handle on this day.

Williams put her play into perspective, “I think as long as I’m doing my best, something good will come out of it.” She will advance to face Camila Giorgi in the next round.

Serena overcomes deficit, advances

Venus’ sister took the court on Thursday against veteran Vera Zvonareva, who is still looking to regain her form after a long absence from the sport. After an early challenge, Williams took the match 7-5 6-0.

In the first set, Williams appeared tentative at times and Zvonareva took advantage. Capitalizing on a number of Serena errors, the Russian earned a break. However, when she had the opportunity to serve for the set, Williams took her game to another level, striking shots fans have become accustomed to.  Not only did the American break back, but she continued her momentum by gaining a break and served out the set.

The early adversity appeared to fuel Williams in the second set as she started fast and never let her foot off the gas. She cruised in the set and into the third round. The lack of playing time appeared to play a factor as the Russian wore down. Williams overcame 24 unforced errors by countering with 32 winners. She closed out the match by winning 10 straight games.

Radwanska rolls

Sixth-seeded Aga Radwanska appeared focused in her second-round match, disposing of Johanna Larsson 6-0 6-1. In a match that lasted just 44 minutes, Radwanska exploited 22 unforced errors by the Swede while she played a relatively clean match. The victory could pay benefits moving forward as the Pole avoided extended exposure to the Australian heat on Thursday.

Kvitova advances to third round

Elsewhere, fourth seed Petra Kvitova continued to impress, defeating Mona Barthel of Germany 6-2 6-4. In the first set, the Czech dominated play behind her big serve. She placed 73 percent of her first serves in play, including five aces.

In the second set, Kvitova survived a marathon 15-minute game as she staved off break points by Barthel. In turn, she broke the German’s serve, which was all she needed to close out the set and the match. She will face another big hitter in Madison Keys in the third round.