Serena Williams Breezes Past Dayana Yastremska in 3rd Round at Australian Open

Serena Williams continued her march through the first week at the 2019 Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-1 win over unranked Dayana Yastremska in the third round at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday in Melbourne.      

Appearing in her first WTA event since the U.S. Open last August, the 16th-seeded Williams has shown no rust or fatigue. She made quick work of Tatjana Maria and Eugenie Bouchard in the first two rounds, dropping just six games combined. 

Williams has now reached the fourth round of the Australian Open in each of her last 10 appearances in the tournament. She hasn't been knocked out before the finals since 2014.

Her dominance was on display right out of the gate against the overmatched Yastremska. She had eight aces, won 85 percent of her first serves and won five of 12 break points. 

The second set saw Yastremska start to break down physically. The 18-year-old had to take a medical timeout to get her ankle wrapped after falling behind 4-1. 

It was academic at that point for Williams, though an unforced error by Yastremska on match point actually sealed the win.

Williams told reporters after her second-round victory that she isn't losing any of her drive or energy at the age of 37. 

"I need to be busy because, like, I have so much energy," she said. "I always thought the older I get, the more calm I'll get. I feel like it's kind of going opposite. I keep getting more energy. It's crazy."

Nothing about Williams' performance Saturday in Australia indicates she's going to slow down. The 23-time Grand Slam champion needed one hour, seven minutes to knock off Yastremska. She hasn't had a match go longer than 70 minutes through the first three rounds. 

Williams' ability to put away opponents quickly in the early rounds bodes well for her as she starts facing more difficult hurdles heading into the second week.