THE grand slam queen of tennis over the last 20 years, Serena Williams headed through to Round 3 of the Australian Open after a tense clash with 22-year-old Slovenian, Tamara Zidansek. The young talent well and truly showcased what she’s capable of – especially in the second set – though she eventually went down in straight sets, 6-2 6-3.
With 16 years between the two players on court, Williams always looked like winning with her game nous and barrels of experience finding her plenty of purchase on Rod Laver Arena. Zidansek was not going to sit back and look pretty however, continuously pushing Williams to bouts of frustration and denying easy points to the 23-time Grand Slam winner.
Despite losing the first set 2-6, Zidansek did not let that faze her, with plenty of opportunities to get one back but unable to convert. Williams’ powerful forearm was what got her over the line in a tighter second set, tallying up seven aces (four in the second set) and keeping one step ahead despite being out of sorts. Zidansek impressed off her services games, causing errors for Williams (28 unforced errors), though her four double faults gave her youth away with Williams’ experience proving crucial.
The second set went game for game with Zidansek staying on top of her American opponent with the first serve of the set, maintaining control and focus. Her clever footwork and ability to find the ball put her on the front foot, poking holes in Williams’ well known match play, and while Williams eventually ran out victor she was certainly tested by the youngster who impressed on Australia’s biggest stage. At three games apiece with 67 minutes played, Williams finally broke Zidansek to head into her service game one game up to consolidate on her first set effort, eventually running out with the straight sets victory.
Fraught with emotion across the court Williams proved she still has it, winning 6-2 6-3 with a serve-points rating of 78 per cent. Zidansek’s overall cleanliness (13 unforced errors) proves her development and skill will not stop here, with plenty in the tank in the future.
Williams will now take on Chinese 27th seed, Wang Qiang in Round 3 of the Open.
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