Melbourne, 20 January 2011 | Sam Stosur

Samantha Stosur delivered another brutal performance to power into the third round of Australian Open 2011 tonight.

Stosur destroyed unseeded Russian Vera Dushevina 6-3 6-2 in 80 minutes to join teenage countryman Bernard Tomic in the last 32 of the Melbourne Park grand slam.

Australia’s fifth seed will get a much better gauge of her title credentials on Saturday against Wimbledon semi-finalist Petra Kvitova, the impressive Czech left-hander who won the season-opening Brisbane International.

Kvitova, the 25th seed, outclassed Anna Chakvetadze 6-3 6-4 in her second-round match and has dropped just two sets in seven matches so far in 2011.

Kvitova hammered Stosur 6-2 6-1 in their only previous meeting at the 2008 French Open on clay.

“I know her a little bit better now and I know I’m going to have to play well,” Stosur said.

“Hopefully the crowd can get behind me and we can have a good day.

“It’s very exciting to be in the third round and tonight is probably the best I’ve hit the ball all summer, so I’m very happy.”

Stosur blasted 26 winners to Dushevina’s eight and, as in her first-round 6-1 6-1 demolition of American wildcard Lauren Davis, the world No.6 dictated from the outset.

The French Open runner-up broke the Russian in the second game of the match before forging a 3-0 lead and nabbing the first set in 35 minutes.

A peerless front-runner, Stosur was 33 from 33 in grand slam matches after taking the opening set and wasn’t about to blot her unblemished record against the world No.61.

After fending off two break points in the second game of the second set, Stosur broke Dushevina for a 2-1 advantage and there was no way back for the Russian.

Stosur broke Dushevina twice more to clinch an impressive victory and, ominously for her Open rivals, has conceded only 17 points in 16 service games so far this campaign.