Serena Williams arrived ready to race at the Australian Open.
In a colorful one-legged catsuit she said was inspired by former Olympic champion Florence Griffith Joyner, Williams shook off a wobbly start — opening with a double-fault and dropping her first service game — to sweep 10 consecutive games and beat Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-1 on the first day of the tournament.
The victory marked the start of Williams' latest bid for a record-tying 24th major title. As she left the court she flexed her biceps, and later she donned a T-shirt that read "Unstoppable Queen."
"Vintage 'Rena," she said, describing her opening match and showing no signs of the right shoulder issue that led her to withdraw from the semifinals of a tuneup tournament last week.
Speed was of the essence among the top women, with No. 2-ranked Simona Halep and No. 3 Naomi Osaka each dropping only three games in the first round.
U.S. Open champion Osaka, who won the title in Melbourne two years ago, beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 6-2 in the opening match on Rod Laver Arena. Two-time major winner Halep, a runner-up here in 2018, opened the night session on the main show court with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Australian wild-card entry Lizette Cabrera.
Williams' inspiration was clear when she started her match.
Griffith Joyner was a sprinting and fashion icon in the 1980s, setting world record that still stand for the women's 100- and 200-meter sprints. She died in 1998, the same year Serena Williams contested her first Australian Open.
"Yeah, I was inspired by Flo Jo, who was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up," Williams said. "Well, watching her fashion, just always changing, her outfits were always amazing.
"This year we thought of what can we do to keep elevating the Serena Williams on the court."
It's off to a flyer.
She wasn't the first Williams to reach the second round, however. Her sister, Venus, won a Grand Slam match for the first time since 2019.
Playing in her 21st Australian Open, the elder Williams beat Kirsten Flipkens 7-5, 6-2. At 40, Venus is the oldest woman in this year's draw and just the sixth player in her 40s to compete at the Australian Open.
"I like my job," she said. "No matter what happens to you in life, you always hold your head up high and give 100 million percent. And that's what I do every single day, and that's something I can be proud of."
The first tournament of this year's Grand Slam season began after a three-week delay because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Physically I feel like everyone, their bodies are shocked, coming in and playing so suddenly after such a long break," Osaka said. "I think we're all getting used to it and everyone is just happy to be here."
That includes the Williams sisters.
"Listen, this is amazing," Serena said. "Last year was very scary for the world. To be able to do what I love and be able to come out and compete . . . it makes me appreciate the moment even more."
For the past four years, since capturing the Australian title in 2017, Serena Williams has been trying to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 major titles.
"I've had a ton of pressure, and now I don't feel it anymore," she told ESPN after her first-round win. "It's like a huge relief. I think I was just looking at it all the wrong way in the past, and I feel totally different about it now."
Two Canadians also have a different approach to the sport.
Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, made a successful return from a 15-month injury absence, serving herself out of trouble in the third set to beat Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Rebecca Marino, a former top-40 player competing in a Grand Slam event for the first time in eight years, beat wild-card entry Kimberly Birrell 6-0, 7-6 (9). Marino was sidelined by depression and a serious foot injury.
In an upset in the afternoon, No. 23 Angelique Kerber, a three-time major champion and 2016 Australian Open winner, lost to American Bernarda Pera 6-0, 6-4.
U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem was a break down and saved set points before beating veteran Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-3 in his first match at the tournament since losing last year's final to top-ranked Novak Djokovic.
No. 6 Alexander Zverev lost the first set in a tiebreaker, after saving four set points, then lost his temper in the second and belted his racket into the court. Letting off a little steam worked for the U.S. Open finalist, who recovered to beat No. 73-ranked Marcos Giron 6-7 (8), 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2.
Also advancing were No. 14 Milos Raonic, the first man to finish the first round, former champion Stan Wawrinka and Americans Reilly Opelka, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz.
No. 10-seeded Gael Monfils lost a marathon against Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 and his fellow Frenchman, No. 25 Benoit Paire, also was beaten in the first round.
Up to 30,000 fans — about 50% of capacity — will be allowed on the tournament site, but seats were mostly empty for the early matches.
The usually packed walkways between courts also were relatively devoid of fans. Sanitizer stations had replaced the giant misting fans that used to keep fans cool on the grounds — not that they were needed on a cloudy, mild day.
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AP Sports Writer Steven Wine contributed from Miami, Florida.
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