No. 13 seed, Serena Williams of the USA, had a relatively easy win over No. 44 ranked, Tamira Paszek of Austria in the 1st round of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Tuesday.
After an uneven start, the 30-year-old former No. 1, Williams, won the last 5 games of the match, serving 4 aces to win one of those games, and served up 12 aces in the match.
Williams’ participation in this year’s event had appeared in doubt after she injured her ankle in Brisbane two weeks ago but she moved well throughout the match and did not appear hampered by the injury.
The 21-year-old Paszek was the 2010 champ in Quebec City, but was no match for the more seasoned Williams.
Williams’ rank has dropped due to recent injury and illness, but she seemed very serious about her game during the match. After the match, Williams said: “I think I was a wee bit tight out there tonight. I always get a little nervous in my first round matches. Hopefully I can get better for my next match.”
In the 2nd round on Thursday, Williams will play the 2011 champ in Quebec Ciry, 25 year-old No. 45 ranked Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic.
