Former World No. 1 Serena Williams has defeated Slovenian Tamara Zidansek to advance to the third round of the Australian Open.
The 38-year-old American pro Serena Williams extended her undefeated streak this year with a 6-2 6-3 win over Tamara Zidansek and reach the Australian Open's third round.
Williams is looking to tie the current record of 24 singles Grand Slam titles held by Australian legend Margaret Court. She will be facing China's 27th seed Wang Qiang, who she already overwhelmingly defeated Williams at the US Open in September 2019.
It was Wang's first Grand Slam quarter-final appearance but she lost to Williams in 44 minutes.
Meanwhile, William's victory over Zidansek was her seventh straight win after she claimed the Auckland title earlier this month. She has won the Australian Open seven times in her career.
In the opening game, Williams started with a break and eventually took the first set in 31 minutes. Zidansek made it more competitive in the next set, capitalizing on Williams' errors.
However, Williams was able to fight off four break points and held 3-3, to frustrate the 70th-ranked Zidansek. Williams won eight of the final 11 points to seal her victory.
Gauff vs Osaka II
American teenager Coco Gauff was able to overcome a 3-0 lead to defeat Romania's Sorana Cirstea. The fifteen-year-old Gauff, currently world number 67, was down 3-0 in the deciding set but recovered to win 4-6 6-3 7-5 in two hours and six minutes.
She said: "It's amazing. Honestly, I didn't think I would get so much support in Australia. I was down 3-0 and you really made me believe."
With this win, Gauff will advance to the third round to face Japanese third seed Naomi Osaka, who defeated Saisai Zheng 6-2 6-4.
Osaka won in straight sets but during the match, the 22-year-old threw her racket on the floor and kicked it after China's Zheng broke her serve in the second. She said: "My racket just magically flew out of my hand."
"I couldn't control it, I think that's how I dealt with my frustration. It was a bit childish. I just want to play one match without throwing my racket or kicking it. That's all I want," added Osaka.
