The world No. 1, bidding for a 22nd Grand Slam title to match the great Steffi Graf, cruised through the one-hour romp in glorious sunshine at Rod Laver Arena without dropping serve.
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“It’s always cool to do something fresh and new”, she said. So we will adopt her own sage advice of just one match at a time – this is winnable in her current form and as such the pressure will be on Konta to win. “You have to be proactive I think with things like this and go and speak to the players rather than them reading about it in the newspapers or listening to it on the TV or the radio”.
Hsieh Su-Wei is coming off a convincing straight sets over Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. “The higher it goes, the more surprised I would be, no doubt about it”.
“I think in my life, it’s the best tennis”, she said.
The 21-year-old Canadian described her lightweight tank dress for the Australian Open as having “red and white stripes like an American flag or something”.
Her 50th Australian Open win takes the fifth seed one step closer to a major milestone.
Williams had a career comeback last season, winning three titles, finding some consistency after a long struggle with illness and finishing the year in the top 10 for the first time since 2010.
The fifth-seed’s only stumbles came when she her had her service broken twice in the opening set, including when she held two set points while serving at 5-1.
Williams pulled out of the lead-up Hopman Cup midway through her first match with knee trouble but looked untroubled as she burned around the court to fire 26 winners past the Taiwanese. “I was scared of playing”, she said.
Unfortunately, there are other deadly shots they must handle because despite all the pre-tournament concerns regarding Williams’ health, the world No. 1 is looking tough as always.
“I was approached through people that were working with me at that time, that were with my team”, he said.
Agnieszka Radwanska negotiated a tricky second round tie against Eugenie Bouchard, winning in straight sets 6-4 6-2. “I was able to stay in it and stay calm today and I think that’s what matters most”.
On Wednesday against Hsieh, Williams added to a lesser-known but still impressive stat by upping her record against players who hit with two hands off both wings to 18-2.
In the men’s draw, No. 2-seeded Andy Murray had little trouble advancing to the second round, beating sometime practice partner Alexander Zverev, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3.
Asked what she would have done away from the game, Zhang said “farming”.
Konta joked after defeating eighth seed and seven-time Grand Slam victor Venus Williams that when she saw the draw, she wanted to just be able to last an hour, but now she surely has to fancy her chances of a potential third round clash with former Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki [30].
Venus Williams of the United States reacts to a lost point against Johanna Konta of Britain during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016.
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Sharapova next plays either American Lauren Davis or Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova, with her early trouble-free performances a confidence boost after her late 2015 season was wrecked by injuries.
