MELBOURNE PARK, Australia – Serena Williams defeated Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-0, 6-4 on Thursday. Not only, did Williams extend her 16 match winning streak i9n Melbourne Park, she gained her 500th career victory. Williams won the Australian Open in 2009 and ’10 but couldn’t play in 2011 due to injury.
Williams gave the crowd a scare when she fell on the court just before the end of the match. “It’s fine. I just have wobbly ankles,†she said in a TV interview after the match. “I wasn’t meant to be a ballerina or anything.â€
“There was no extra pain, Williams told media her post-match interview in the media center. “It was fine. I twisted it. But it’s all taped up, so the tape really, really helped.”
Williams reflected on her 5ooth win, “It’s great. I haven’t even thought about it. It’s like the ultimate. It’s really, really cool. The first thing I asked, of course, Is there anyone that achieved a thousand? I guess not. I never will get there either.
“But it’s really cool. 500 is a lot of matches to play, let alone to win, so it’s pretty cool.”
“Yeah, my target is just to keep going. I never even thought about 500 till I got to Australia and realized after Brisbane I was at 498. So then I was like, Oh, I definitely want to get to 500. I knew I was going to get to 500 sooner or later.
“Now I don’t know what the next milestone is.”
Williams will be playing with Andy Roddick in the mixed doubles and she commented on the team drawing the top seeded team of Kveta Peschke and Mike Bryan of in the first round.
“I heard about it” said Williams. “It’s a tough draw in the first round. We’re always up for a challenge.”
As for talking strategy with Roddick. “A little bit. Like yesterday I texted Andy and he said, What side do you want to play? I was like, Oh, yeah, we forgot to discuss that.”
” We’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be fun. Why not start out with the best?”
Williams is set to face the winner of Dominika Cibulkova and Greta Arn.