“It’s definitely a relief to get that first one out of the way”, she said after the win.
Advertisement
There were concerns ahead of the clash about her lack of match fitness, after Sharapova pulled out of the Brisbane International with a forearm injury.
Sharapova has now won 46 of her last 47 Grand Slam first round matches – her only loss in the first round of a Grand Slam since 2003 came at the hands of Maria Kirilenko at the 2010 Australian Open.
Roger Federer extended his streak by reaching the third round for the 17th straight Australian Open.
Her only stumble came while serving for the match when she was broken by Hibino, but Sharapova broke back in the next game to clinch the match.
The No. 4 seed Radwanska beat out her rival Christina McHale in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 but former No. 1 player Caroline Wozniacki, who was the No. 16 seed at The Australian Open this year, lost her footing to Yulia Putinseva in a three set match that ended at 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-4. “I’m happy if they won’t end up being on this court, actually”, Federer said after his second-round win over Alexandr Dolgopolov. She’s also just two Grand Slams shy of tying the record for the most-ever majors played by a woman – 71, set by American Amy Frazier.
Seventh-seeded Kei Nishikori, the 2014 U.S. Open finalist, advanced to the third round in the men’s draw with a 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over Austin Krajicek. I’d say it was pretty mediocre today.
Williams has only fallen in the second round of a Grand Slam tournament twice in her career – losing to her sister Venus in her Australian Open debut in 1998, and being beaten by Garbine Muguruza at the 2014 French Open. “It was an incredible moment to be in the final of this event again”, said Sharapova, who played her first-round match on Margaret Court Arena, one of three covered stadiums at Melbourne Park.
Williams’ next opponent will be 18-year-old Russian Daria Kasatkina, who beat Croatia’s Ana Konjuh 6-4, 6-3, and she faces a potential quarterfinal match against 2015 finalist Maria Sharapova, who reached the third round with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
“I was quite pleased in the way I was able to play in my opening match”.
She hit 26 winners, including one around the post that she thought may have been a first for her, at age 34.
Advertisement
“It’s great to be back on this court after such a good run [to the final] previous year”, said Sharapova.
