Dinara Safina tastes double bagel as Kim Clijsters coasts through

KIM Clijsters, one of the favourites for the women's Australian Open title, doled out the most humiliating punishment in tennis - the dreaded 6-0, 6-0 double bagel - to fellow former world No 1 Dinara Safina at the Rod Laver Arena.

US Open champion Clijsters needed just 44 minutes to reach the second round, picking apart the hapless Russian. "I do feel bad," said Clijsters. "I even caught myself at 5-0 in the second set, she hit a couple of backhands down the line, I was like 'Yeah, that's it!'"

Safina became the first former women's No 1 to lose 6-0, 6-0 at a grand slam since the rankings system began in 1975. No 2 seed Vera Zvonareva won 6-2, 6-1 against Austria's Sybille Bammer, while Ana Ivanovic lost 3-6 6-4 10-8 to Ekaterina Makarova.

In the absence of injured 2010 champion Serena Williams, Australian hopes are high that Sam Stosur can break a three-decade drought without a local champion and the fifth seed could not have done much better than her 6-1, 6-1 drubbing of American wildcard Lauren Davis.