US Open: Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova through

Top seed Victoria Azarenka and third seed Maria Sharapova cruised into the third round of the US Open with straight sets victories.

World number one Azarenka beat Belgian qualifier Kirsten Flipkens 6-2 6-2.

Sharapova needed just 54 minutes to dispatch unseeded Spaniard Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-0 6-1.

Defending champion Sam Stosur also progressed courtesy of a straightforward 6-3 6-0 victory over Romania's Edina Gallovits-Hall.

Petra Kvitova, the fifth seed, beat Alize Cornet 6-4 6-3, while Li Na saw off Casey Dellacqua 6-4 6-4.

Chinese ninth seed Li, who won the 2011 French Open, will face Britain's Laura Robson in the third round after the 18-year-old beat Kim Clijsters 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5).

Azarenka, who beat Alexandra Panova 6-0 6-1 in the first round, swept past Flipkens in 65 minutes.

Yet to drop serve in the tournament, she meets Chinese 28th seed Zheng Jie in round three.

Azarenka broke serve in game three of the first set and, although Flipkens briefly threatened a revival at the start of the second, the result never looked in doubt.

Another break for 6-2 5-2 brought with it a fist pump, and Azarenka served out comfortably on a sun-drenched Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"I think it was another good performance. It was a little bit difficult with the wind," said the Belarusian, who is bidding to win her second Grand Slam title of the year having lifted January's Australian Open.

"I adjusted really well. Her game is also a little bit unpredictable. She likes to move the opponent around. She has different variety."

Meanwhile, Russian 19th seed Nadia Petrova overcame Simona Halep 6-1 6-1 to set up a meeting with Lucie Safarova after the Czech 15th seed beat Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3 4-6 6-2.

American Mallory Burdette advanced with a 6-2 6-4 victory over Czech Lucie Hradecka.