By Erik Gudris | Tuesday, January 20, 2015

 

Though admitting to some first round jitters, top seed Serena Williams won in straight sets in her opening match at Melbourne.

Photo Credit: Corleve

World No. 1 and top seed Serena Williams started her Australian Open campaign with a strong opening round win in Melbourne.

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Though her spotty performance at the recent Hopman Cup had many wondering what to expect from the five-time Melbourne champion, Williams soon put those doubts to rest.

Williams faced off against Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck. The top seed quickly rolled to take the opening set 6-0.

Though Williams found herself down 0-30, 4-all in the second set, she rallied to close out that game and soon the match 6-0, 6-4.

Williams struck 21 winners on the night compared to just eight from her opponent.

"I felt okay. As always, I had the jitters going out in the first match of a Grand Slam. So, yeah, 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," Williams said about her match later.

Next up for Williams is a familiar opponent in Russia's Vera Zvonareva who the American defeated to win the Wimbledon title in 2010. Though Zvonareva is coming back from a long hiatus from the tour, Williams is prepared for a tough match.

"To meet such a high-ranked player in the second round is not going to be easy for me. It's going to be tough. She does so many things well. She's on the way back. I know she's been fighting and playing really hard. I have to be ready. I have to come out of the gates ready to go and be the best I can be."