Williams did not have it all her own way against the 16th seed
Six-time champion Serena Williams overcame stern resistance from Czech 16th seed Barbora Strycova to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
The American second seed, 35, fell a break of serve down three times in the first set but came through 7-5 6-4.
Williams goes on to face Britain’s Johanna Konta or Russian Ekaterina Makarova in the last eight.
“She’s a really smart player – she can do pretty much everything,” Williams said of Strycova.
It was a really good match for me and I’m glad I came through it.”
Williams was under pressure on serve more than usual with a first-serve percentage of just 45%.
“It’s good to know I have an plan B or option two,” she added. “I wasn’t serving my greatest but she was also putting a lot of returns in there.”
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