Serena goes unbeaten in Hopman Cup singles
PERTH, Australia - Serena Williams closed out her preparations for the Australian Open with another victory on Thursday, as the former World No.1 held off a game second-set effort from Great Britain's Katie Boulter to win, 6-1, 7-6(2).
Concluding her effort in Perth just 11 days ahead of the Australian Open, Williams went 3-0 in her singles matches with the loss of just one set in round robin action for the week, as she partnered Frances Tiafoe to represent the United States in the team competition.
"It was perfect [preparation] - it’s just like this in Melbourne," she told reporters after the final tie.
"It was good to play three matches here, singles, not to mention the mixed doubles."
What a privilege to be sharing the court with @serenawilliams today. She was one of the reasons I started playing tennis, and has been an inspiration to me throughout my whole career. 🥰 pic.twitter.com/OCh99n52Uv
— Katie Boulter (@KatieBoulter1) January 3, 2019
Williams and Tiafoe went 0-3 in their ties across the week as they dropped three tightly-contested deciding mixed doubles rubbers to be eliminated from championship contention.
Nonetheless, the Western Australian crowd got a thrill earlier in the week as Williams and Roger Federer shared the court together when the Americans faced Switzerland.
Read more: Serena Williams takes on Roger Federer in legendary mixed doubles clash
The 23-time major champion also defeated Maria Sakkari in straight sets, and came from a set down to defeat Belinda Bencic to cap an her effort in women's singles for Team USA.
Her appearance in Perth marked Williams' first in Australia since 2017, where she famously won her 23rd Grand Slam title in Melbourne while pregnant with her first child, Olympia.