Serena Williams Defeats Caroline Garcia to Advance at 2013 French Open

Women's top seed Serena Williams extended her winning streak to 26 matches on Wednesday, breezing past unseeded French teenager Caroline Garcia in the second round, 6-1, 6-2, via Roland Garros:

Williams came out strong, recording six aces and 15 winners in all in the opening set, which lasted under a half hour. Garcia, meanwhile, had as many winners (eight) as unforced errors in the first frame, via Ben Rothenberg of The New York Times:

The current world No. 1 was every bit as dominant in the second set, winning it in 35 minutes to eliminate her opponent in just over an hour.    

Garcia, who reached the second round at the French Open for the second time since 2011 this year, is ranked outside the WTA Top 100 but is a fast-improving player nonetheless.

The easy victory for Williams comes as no surprise as many tennis fans and experts consider her to be the overwhelming favorite to lift her 16th Slam trophy this June in the French capital.

The 31-year-old Williams hasn't won the French Open since 2002 and hasn't reached the semifinals at Roland Garros since 2003. She was bounced in the first round in Paris in 2012, falling to Virginie Razzano in three sets. 

The loss was Williams' first-ever first-round exit at a Grand Slam tournament.

Therefore, the American star needs no extra motivation to have a strong showing in Paris this summer.

Williams will face off against 26th-seeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the third round. The 23-year-old Cirstea is currently ranked 30th in the world but has proven she can play on the red clay, reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open in 2009.  

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