'I'm going in the right direction': Serena dismisses Maria in Melbourne

MELBOURNE, Australia - Former World No.1 Serena Williams made a big splash in her first official match of the 2019 season, surging past fellow tour mom Tatjana Maria, 6-0, 6-2 to reach the second round of the Australian Open.

Williams won all three of her Hopman Cup matches in what was her first on-court appearance since the 2018 US Open, and was even more emphatic in her return to Rod Laver Arena, racing past Maria in 49 minutes on Tuesday.

Afterwards, she was particularly satisfied with her "consistency" against a rival - and Florida neighbor - with whom she is familiar both on and off court. "She's a tricky player," assessed Williams. "Could have been easily a 6-3, 6-4 match or three-set match. She's been able to beat top players, No.1 and No.2, so she knows how to play.

"I think always when I have a tougher round or I know someone that's really good, I really want to be focused, and then that was really helpful for me today."

The 23-time Grand Slam champion returned to tour last spring after giving birth and reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and New York.

Seeded No.16 in Melbourne, she began the match in blistering form, dropping just five points as the German veteran struggled to match her illustrious opponent's pace. With nine winners to four unforced errors, Williams won the set without dropping a game.

Maria has caused her share of upsets in the past, stunning former World No.3 Elina Svitolina in the first round of Wimbledon last summer, but the match continued to slip away as Williams moved within three games of victory.

A long tussle ensued as Maria worked to get on the board, striking serveral aces to win her first two games of the match.

Still, it was Serena's day as she edged over the finish line with one last break of serve, ending with 22 winners to just 11 unforced errors.

Up next for the seven-time Australian Open champion will likely be a deceptively difficult opponent when she takes on former World No.5 Eugenie Bouchard.

Bouchard reached the semifinals in Melbourne back in 2014, and has shown signs of a resurgence since hiring coach Michael Joyce, reaching the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic in Auckland to start the season - and Williams praised the Canadian's ability to rebound. "I really like that she doesn't quit," she said. "You know, people write her off, and she doesn't let that bother her. She continues to fight and do what she needs to do."

As for what Williams herself needs to do, the American said she is letting go of expectations - particularly surrounding the possibility of a 24th major crown. "I have been going for the record what seems like forever now, so it doesn't feel any different," she shrugged. "I don't want to give myself a ranking anymore. I think it gives me too much negative expectations. I always expect to reach the sky, and anything below it is not good enough for me.

"I just know that I'm going in the right direction."