Kevin Anderson cruised into the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday with a straight sets victory over Russian Andrey Kuznetsov.

The South African men's number one, who is looking to progress to the fourth stage of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, defeated Kuznetsov 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in their second-round clash.

Anderson will face Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, the former world number seven, in the next round.

Verdasco cruised past Belgian Xavier Malisse with a convincing 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 win in round two.