MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Serena Williams figured it was important to get off to a strong start against Eugenie Bouchard in the Australian Opens second round today.
Serena, she said she told herself beforehand, youve got to come out hot; youve got to come out firing.
No problem. Seeking her eighth title at Melbourne Park and 24th Grand Slam singles trophy overall, Williams opened as well as can be, and closed rather well, too, grabbing 13 of the initial 17 points, and 20 of the closing 24, to put together a 6-2, 6-2 victory over 2014 Wimbledon runner-up Bouchard.