Venus and Serena, Eight Other American Women Advance on Day Two of Aussie Open

January 20, 2015 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Serena_Crop_Pic
Photo credit: Calvin Rhoden

Top-seeded Serena Williams got off to a good start in Melbourne Tuesday as the American routed Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck 6-0, 6-4 to advance at the 2015 Australian Open. Serena was not the only American woman to come out on top though, as eight other Americans, including her sister Venus, pushed through into the second-round of the year’s first Grand Slam.

Serena hit 21 winners to just 17 unforced errors and picked up four break points to win comfortably in just over an hour.

“I felt okay. As always, I had the jitters going out in the first match of a Grand Slam,” said Serena. “It’s never super easy to be the one that everyone wants to beat. So I always have to be a little bit above. But yeah, I felt okay. I definitely think I can improve a tremendous amount though.”

The number one player in the world will take on Russia’s Vera Zvonareva, who is a former world number two herself. The two-time Grand Slam finalist needed just over an hour to move past Tunisian qualifier Ons Jabeur 6-2, 6-3.

Serena’s big sister Venus cruised into the second-round as well with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Spain’s Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor. Venus got two break points in the first and three break points in the second to advance.

Up next for the 18th seeded Venus Williams is fellow American Lauren Davis who took out young Serbian Aleksandra Krunic 6-1, 7-5. Davis notched two break points in each set to hold off Krunic.

Madison Brengle pulled off one of the few upsets on Tuesday as the 24-year old knocked off 13th seeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany. Brengle came back from a one set deficit to upstage Petkovic 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3.

Brengle reached the final of last week’s Hobart International before losing to Heather Watson. The young American is looking to continue her solid play in Australia when she takes on compatriot Irina Falconi.

Falconi eliminated Estonian Kaia Kanepi 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 to push through. The key to this match came in the second set. After Kanepi cruised to a 6-2 opening set win, Falconi dominated the second frame. She converted all four break point opportunities which were significant, because she had her serve broken three times in the set.

Coco Vandeweghe, Madison Keys, 30th seeded Varvara Lepchenko and Nicole Gibbs round out the rest of the American winners from Tuesday.

Fourth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova continued her strong start to 2015 with a 6-1, 6-4 drubbing of the Netherlands’ Richel Hogenkamp. She will take on Germany’s Mona Barthel in the second-round.

Agnieszka Radwanska, the sixth seed, blitzed past Japan’s Kurumi Nara 6-3, 6-0. The Pollack actually trailed 2-1 in the opening set before rattling off 11 of the final 12 games to win the match in just over an hour.

She takes on Sweden’s Johanna Larsson next.

While Day 2 did not see as many upsets as the first day of the main draw did, there were a few seeded players sent home on Tuesday.

Italian Camila Giorgi  came back from a set down to beat her compatriot 12th seeded Flavia Pennetta 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 while Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky upended 15th seeded Serbian and former world number one Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 6-4 to advance.

Click here for all the results from Day 2 at the Australian Open.


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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