Australian Open 2012 live stream

After a patchy performance, Venus Williams has advanced to the third round of Australian Open 2010 with a 6-2 7-5 over Austrian Sybille Bammer on Thursday.

Bammer, a former world No. 19 and one of three mothers participating in the main draw at Melbourne Park, fought tenaciously before Williams’ poise, power and experience won out on Hisense Arena.

Although not her best performance, Williams’ statistics were impressive. She smacked 32 winners to Bammer’s four and seven aces to none, and approached the net on 28 occasions for a success rate of nearly 70 per cent.

Seeded No. 6, Williams has entered the Australian Open under the radar, with discussions of favouritism firmly focused on sister Serena and Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. This may be for good reason; despite her stellar career achievements, Williams has progressed beyond the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park just twice in 10 visits.

The match began competitively, with service holds in the opening two games and an intense third game featuring six deuces. Eventually holding for 2-1, Williams used that mental leverage to snare the first break of the set in the fourth game, assisted by a delightful forehand lob that set up break point.

Games then travelled on serve before Williams scored her second break to take a one-set lead.
Bammer, the world No. 55, began the second set more positively, using her deep, looping, heavily top-spun forehands to pin Williams behind the baseline and neutralise her power. She also employed her backhand to good effect, surprising the American with some flat down-the-line winners.

Williams became increasingly frustrated and unusually demonstrative, her cause not helped by a wildly-sprayed smash on her way to falling behind an early break.

The No. 6 seed stuck to her aggressive game plan and was rewarded in the third game, saving a break point with a winner and eventually holding serve.

The Austrian proved a persistent opponent, and after holding serve in the fourth game she gained a break point for a 4-1 lead. Williams’ fearlessness under pressure then shone through; she advanced to the net to put away a forehand volley winner and hold serve.

It sparked a run of three consecutive games that concluded with Williams serving for the match at 5-3. But Bammer refused to succumb, flummoxing the former world No. 1 with a well-executed lob and gaining a break back.

Holding serve to level proceedings at 5-5, Bammer appeared to have Williams rattled. But the American raised her level at this critical juncture of the match, holding serve in the 11th game and breaking Bammer to love in the next to progress in one hour and 37 minutes.
 
Williams will next face the winner of Thursday’s night match between local favourite Casey Dellacqua and Croatian Karolina Sprem.