Serena Williams defeated world no.1 Simona Halep 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to storm into the quarterfinals of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Monday.
Williams, ranked 16th, did not play the Australian Open last year following the birth of her daughter.
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Williams is chasing her 8th Australian Open title. This was the first Williams played a world No.1 since 2013 – back then it was Victoria Azarenka.
The match started in a pretty one-sided way as the American player registered the opening set to her name within 20 minutes. She dropped just one game on her way to clinch the set 6-1.
The deciding set saw some tense moments when Serena gave away three break points in the crucial sixth game. The former world number one, however returned beautifully by earning a break point in the seventh game. Serena eventually took the game 6-4 to seal the match.
Next, Serena will be up against number seven Karolina Pliskova to make it into the semi-final of the competition.
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