Australian Open 2012 Results: 3 Things Learned from Women's Draw on Jan. 19

The contenders are starting to separate themselves from the pretenders going into the second quarter of the 2012 Australian Open.

The women's draw has already seen a few surprises, but the high seeds have been taking care of business for the most part.

So, what did we learn about women's draw on January 19th?

Former World No. 1 Ana Ivanovic Is Looking Strong Again

After dispatching Lourdes Dominguez-Lino without hardly breaking a sweat in the first round (6-0, 6-3), Ivanovic was at it again in the second round.

She made swift work of Michaella Krajicek today, winning this match 6-2, 6-3 without even facing a single break point.

Ivanovic won 91 percent of her first serves in this match, and her serve, which has been known to give her trouble, was spot on.

Ivanovic has been struggling to return to form since her French Open victory in 2008, but with new coach Nigel Sears getting her back to basics, she's looking more and more like the woman that dominated the red clay.

She still has a ways to go before I'll consider her a true contender, but she'll prove me wrong with more strong performances in the later rounds.

Serena Williams Is Still to Be Feared

Williams won her 500th career match today, and at he age of 30, she showed she is still to be feared in the women's draw.

She has already won the Australian Open five times, the last being in 2010, and I don't put it past her to do it again. If she does, she will become the first woman over 30 to win this tournament since Margaret Court did it in 1973.

Her second-round opponent, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, never had a chance. Williams took care of business in just over an hour, breaking Strycova's serve five times and dominating the match.

Don't be surprised to see Williams challenge for her sixth Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.

Maria Sharapova's Ankle Is Looking Good—So Far

After dismantling Gisela Dulko in the first round, I wrote a post saying that Sharapova's ankle wouldn't hold up for the entire tournament. I assumed, of course, that she'd run into an opponent or two that forced her to battle for two to three hours, causing her to become fatigued and lose strength.

Her second-round opponent, Jamie Hampton, didn't put up a fight, though. Sharapova gobbled her up for a quick breakfast on her way into the third round, winning 6-0, 6-1.

The match only lasted 64 minutes, and Sharapova lost only one set for the second straight match, giving her ankle the best possible chance to survive the later rounds.

Hampton isn't much of a challenge, ranked 144th, but Sharapova's ankle seems to be holding up just fine so far.

Stay tuned for more updates and analysis as the Australian Open continues through next week.

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