MADRID-World number five Victoria Azarenka extended her winning streak to 16 matches with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over France's Alize Cornet to reach the third round of the Madrid Open on Monday.

The Belarussian clinched her last two tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami and is the favourite to land her first title in Madrid in the absence of world number one Serena Williams due to flu. Azarenka raced into a 4-1 first set lead against world number 48 Cornet and, despite a blip dropping serve for the only time in the match for 4-2, broke once more to seal the set 6-3.

The second set was even more straight forward for the two-time Grand Slam champion as two breaks of serve sealed victory in just under 90 minutes on court. Azarenka will face either 14th seed Ana Ivanovic or American qualifier Louisa Chirico in the third round.

Defending champion Petra Kvitova remained on course for a quarter-final showdown with Azarenka with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Russian Elena Vesnina. The two-time Wimbledon champion reached the semi-finals in Stuttgart a fortnight ago and believes her positive start to the clay-court season is down to her new coach David Kotyza. "I have a new coach. That's always great to have someone who's helping you and finding a good way of your game and plan," said Kvitova. "I feel okay. Importantly is that my body feels okay. I hope that this will kind of continue." Kvitova faces Australian Daria Gavrilova in round three after she ousted 12th seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 7-6 (7/4).

Earlier, top seeds Agnieszka Radwanska and Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber crashed out of the Madrid Open in the first round on Sunday in major setbacks ahead of Roland Garros. Poland's Radwanska, the number one seed in the absence of Serena Williams, lost 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3 to the rejuvenated Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia. Radwanska, a semi-finalist in 2012 and 2014 in the Spanish capital, already knew the dangers posed by Cibulkova after her opponent came within a point of victory in their last meeting at Indian Wells in March. Cibulkova, a former world number 10 and Australian Open runner-up, was always going to be a dangerous floater having won her fifth career title last time out in Katowice three weeks ago.

Second-seeded German Kerber was dumped out by the Czech Republic's Barbora Strycova 6-4, 6-2 with her defeat coming just a week after she had retained her title in Stuttgart. However, Kerber was outplayed by world number 33 Strycova, who she had beaten 6-1, 6-1 in Miami back in March. "I'd win four games in the matches we played before," said Strycova. "I went into this match thinking I had nothing to lose. I mean, it can't be worse than Miami."

Losses for Radwanska and Kerber mean Garbine Muguruza is the highest seed left at the key clay-court event and the fourth-ranked Spaniard sealed her place in round two with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Anna Schmiedlova. "Of course I was a little bit nervous and tense because the first matches are always complicated," said Muguruza, who is aiming to be the first Spanish woman to win the title in Madrid. "In Madrid we have this extra pressure because I'm here at home. Perhaps you're a little bit more nervous because of that, but my first feeling is that I'm satisfied for winning the match."