MELBOURNE, Jan 19 - Third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova overcame a spirited challenge from fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko to secure a 6-1 6-4 victory in the Australian Open third round on Friday.

Kuznetsova, U.S. Open champion in 2004, proved too strong for her opponent, seeded 26th, using her powerful groundstrokes to move her round the court.

Kirilenko, 19, rallied in the second set to level at 4-4 but Kuznetsova stepped up a gear to win the next two games and clinch victory in one hour 19 minutes on her third match point.

Kuznetsova will play Frenchwoman Tatiana Golovin, seeded 20th, or Shahar Peer of Israel, the 16th seed, in the fourth round.