With temperatures as high as 103 F at the Australian Open Wednesday, Serena Williams had one goal in mind: Get it over quickly.
And so, Williams attacked and attacked and attacked. … in an effort to end her match with overmatched Vesna Dolonc and retreat to shade. Mission accomplished.
Williams won 6-1, 6-2 in 63 minutes. And in the process, she upped her career mark to 60-8 at Melbourne Park and she equaled Margaret Court’s record of 60 match wins at the Australian Open in the Open era.
On Day 3 at Melbourne Park, the center court was referred to as “Serena’s Arena” by two fans holding a sign with that notation.
“I just try to hit a bunch of aces and a bunch of winners–that’s all you can do because it’s too hot to get into long rallies,” she said.
Williams fended off the only break point she faced with an ace, one of her 10 in the match. She hit 24 winners, sticking to the strategy for a hot day.
She said she didn’t even go outside Tuesday because she heard the conditions “were a little bit extreme,” adding that the prospect of the scorching temperatures interrupted her sleep.
“I kept waking up in the middle of the night, last night, just paranoid. I just wanted to stay hydrated,” she said. “The last thing I want to do is to cramp in this weather. It can happen so easy.”
