By Chris Oddo / Monday, January 13, 2014

Victoria Azarenka began her bid for a third consecutive Australian Open title with a hard-fought 7-6(2), 6-2 triumph over Sweden's Johanna Larsson on Day 2, fighting off 100-plus degree temperatures and a blazing sun that has become a buzzworthy topic at tennis' first Grand Slam of the season.

With temperatures rising, and her stubborn opponent patiently matching the World No. 1 blow for blow, Azarenka had to battle hard to reach a first set tiebreaker, breaking the Swede's serve twice consecutively as she served for the first set.

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“Yeah it was a tough set first. The match was going to be tricky ... the weather was not helping,” Azarenka said after the match. “I had to play a little bit and find my rhythm.”

Though Azarenka would have probably liked to be more efficient on the whole, she helped her cause by going a perfect five for five on break point opportunities, including two for two in a second set in which she finally ran away from Larsson to claim the victory in 1:46.

After facing 10 break points in the first set, Azarenka managed to pull herself together from the service stripe down the stretch, clicking on 16 of 17 first serve points in the second set and not facing a break point beyond set one.

Other winners early on Day 2 on the women's side were Caroline Wozniacki, who made quick work of Spaniard Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 6-0, 6-2, and Dominika Cibulkova, who eased past Francesca Schiavone, 6-3, 6-4.

“I put the bottle down on the court and it started melting a little bit underneath, the plastic, so you knew it was warm,” Wozniacki told reporters after happily retreating to the air-conditioned press room.

Simona Halep, Carla Suarez Navarro and Christina McHale were also early winners on day 2.

On one of the most physically taxing days in recent Australian Open memory (temperatures were reportedly in the high 120's at court level), there was one player who had a “breezy” day. Alize Cornet advanced when her opponent Polona Hercog retired after just one game.