Serena Williams vs. Andrea Hlavackova: Score and Reaction from 2015 French Open
May 26, 2015
Serena Williams cruised through her opening match at the French Open, dismissing Andrea Hlavackova with little difficulty Tuesday, 6-2, 6-3, in what was her 15th Grand Slam victory in a row.
It was business as usual for the top-ranked Williams. She completely controlled the match with her serve, winning 24 of 30 first-serve points and smashing three aces, per RolandGarros.com. She rushed the net with success, winning four of six net approaches and also converting all four of her break points.
She particularly breezed through the first set, as Roland Garros on Twitter noted:
Of course, Williams surviving an opening round is hardly surprising, as ESPN Tennis tweeted:
As for the elbow injury that has hampered her during the clay season, Williams conceded to Jon Wertheim in her post-match interview on the Tennis Channel that it was a slight factor: "I didn't go for as many aces as I normally do. I'm just taking it one match at a time, trying to save it."
In fact, Williams appeared to be having fun on the court. Roland Garros on Twitter passed along one particularly funny moment from the match when the superstar was able to laugh at herself:
Williams will now face Anna-Lena Friedsam in the second round, another match that she'll be expected to win without much issue.
But things could get very interesting in the third round, when Williams could potentially face the No. 27-ranked Victoria Azarenka. The two have had their fair share of battles in the past, and Azarenka is a very talented player who is better than her current ranking.
If there was ever a draw that could see Williams bow out of the French Open in the opening rounds, it is the possibility of facing Azarenka in the third. Williams will be favored to move on, surely, but that potential match looms large.