Top seed of women's draw, Serena Williams is set to clash against the lesser known Alison Van Uytvanck from Belgium in the first round of the 2015 Australian Open, which started yesterday. The match is scheduled to be played at the Margaret Court Arena later today.
Williams is expected to win the match against the Belgian. Both the players have not played against one another in any professional match, but Uytvanck would know what she is up against, as her opponent is one of the biggest stars in the WTA circuit.
It is going to be tough match for Uytvanck against the world number one, who has won the Australian Open five times in her professional career in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010.
However, it has been a while since the American has won this prestigious event.
It would be disappointing if Williams does not feature in at least the last four of the competition.
As per her credentials, she was below par last season as she was ousted from the Australian Open in the fourth round.
Williams would evidently like to improve her 2014 grand slam performance, where she only won a single grand slam -- US Open -- where she defeated Swiss ace, Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets 6-3 and 6-3.
Though the player won seven titles last year, she would be eager to win more this season, starting with the Australian Open.
Meanwhile Uytvanck might be a happy even if she manages to stretch the game to a third set and stand up against the world number one. The Belgian is relatively inexperienced as she turned pro in 2010, but has won the 125K title on the WTA tour.
The 20-year-old is ranked 106 in the WTA rankings, but does not come into the competition with full of confidence as she lost to a player ranked 177 in the recently concluded Hobart International.
Her record in the Australian Open does not auger too well for her as she was previously knocked out of the Australian Open in the first round.
Would she be able to improve upon her performance from last season with Serena Williams on the other half of the court?
Where to watch Live
The match will be shown live on Sony Six in India (1:30 pm) with live streaming option on Livsports.in
