02 February,2021 07:58 AM IST | Melbourne | AFP
Serena Williams returns to Australia`s Daria Gavrilova during their Yarra Valley Classic match in Melbourne yesterday. Pic/AFP
Serena Williams admitted on Monday that she might have been forced to skip the Australian Open if it hadn't been delayed over the Coronavirus, saying she needed extra time to shake off the achilles injury which cut short her 2020 season.
Williams, who beat Daria Gavrilova 6-1, 6-4 in her Yarra Valley Classic opener in Melbourne, suffered the injury at last year's US Open then withdrew from the French Open before the second round, ending her 2020 campaign.
But the 39-year-old, who will launch her latest attempt for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title next week, got extra time to recover when the Open was postponed for three weeks over Coronavirus complications.
"I couldn't practice because of my achilles," she told reporters. "I needed time. I don't think I would have been here if it was during the regular season. "[The delay] was an unwanted blessing. I definitely was pushing the limits, but I'm here."
The seven-time Australian Open champion started sluggishly, losing the first three points on serve, before quickly overpowering the Australian. Gavrilova, ranked 451, was overmatched against her idol but used her speed around the court to make Williams work harder in a more competitive second set.
Williams, looking to get matches under her belt before the Australian Open, will next play Tsvetana Pironkova in the round of 16. World No. 2 Simona Halep wore down Anastasia Potapova with a 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Earlier, teenage sensation Coco Gauff showed only glimpses of the form that fuelled her dazzling run at last year's Australian Open during a gruelling 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/5) win over Jil Teichmann at the Gippsland Trophy.
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