Serena Williams(USA) began her quest for a 23rd Grand Slam title in style on Tuesday, overcoming the threat from Swiss star Belinda Bencic to power into the Australian Open second round.
The American great, who lost the top ranking to Angelique Kerber last year, blitzed the unseeded 19-year-old 6-4, 6-3 at the Rod Laver Arena in scorching temperatures as she hunts down a seventh Melbourne Park crown.
It sets her up for a clash with Lucie Safarova from the Czech Republic, who saved an incredible nine match points before beating Belgian Yanina Wickmayer in their first round encounter.
Bencic, 19, is a former world number seven and has form against Williams, stunning her in the 2015 Toronto semi-finals in what remains the biggest win of her career.
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