Venus Williams secured her place into the last 32 of the Australian Open after a 6-3 4-6 6-0 win over Alize Cornet.
The 2017 finalist outlasted the Frenchwoman in a brutal contest to seal her place in the third round of the Australian Open.
A meeting with Simona Halep awaits on Saturday after the tough win over a stubborn Cornet. The clash will make her 13th appearance in the third round of the Australian Open.
At the start of the match, both women shared breaks of serve in this competitive second round match which was guaranteed brutal rallies.
Venus was looking to rediscover her form that saw her reach the 2017 Australian Open final and was firing well with her forehand early as she stormed to a 4-1 lead.
However Cornet is not a player to be overlooked as she used her variety and great athleticism to get the break back as this match had all the elements of a classic.
Eventually though Venus’ experience and shot-making proved decisive as she took the next two games and sealed a crucial first set in 49 minutes, saving a barrage of Cornet break points in the process.
The second set was much better from the unseeded Frenchwoman as she forced some lung-busting rallies which saw both players exhausted.
There were no breaks of serve until the latter stages as Venus’ aggressive style of play couldn’t create any clear-cut opportunities.
After a long final game Cornet broke on her third break point of the game to seal the second set as she roared in delight.
Venus’ frustration was the key to the second set for Cornet as she couldn’t control her groundstrokes for long periods of the set.
But in the final set the American proved why she has won multiple grand slam titles and took advantage of a tired Cornet as she pummelled the ball from side to side.
A run of six consecutive games sealed the final set bagel as she finished off a punishing match to seal her place in the third round.
After the match Venus gave a short explanation of why she lost the second set against the stubborn Cornet, “I was controlling the points in the first two sets but I fell a little short in the second set. But the third set I tried not to fall a little short.”
Next up for Venus is a brutal third round match with world number one Simona Halep.
