Serena starts slow but reaches fourth round

MELBOURNE : A frustrated Serena Williams was a picture of torment for a set and a half before she found her range to fend off Elina Svitolina 4-6 6-2 6-0 and reach the fourth round of the Australian Open today. The top seed entered Rod Laver Arena with a frown and grumbled as she miscued groundstrokes and had little penetration on her first serve against the 26th-seeded Ukrainian. However, she dug herself out of the hole and sealed the match in 99 minutes with a searing cross-court return. The American will next play Garbine Muguruza for a place in the quarter-finals.
(AGENCIES)