Serena Williams gave compatriot Nicole Gibbs a lesson in grand slam tennis with a 6-1 6-3 towelling to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday.
Having passed her earlier tests against more accomplished players, Williams had far too many weapons for the 92nd-ranked Gibbs, who appeared overawed by the occasion on a sun-drenched Rod Laver Arena.
Williams suffered a brief lapse when serving for the match at 5-2 and was broken for the first time, but she promptly broke back to close out the one-sided contest in just over an hour.
Williams next faces Czech 16th seed Barbora Strycova for a place in the quarterfinals.
CIBULKOVA BECOMES LATEST SEED TO CRASH
Dominika Cibulkova became the latest top seed to crash out of the Australian Open Saturday when she was upset by Russian dark horse Ekaterina Makarova in a marathon third-round match.
The Slovak sixth seed and WTA Finals champion joins third seed Agnieszka Radwanska and fourth-seeded Simona Halep as first-week casualties, blowing the draw wide open.
Makarova, 28, was never going to be a pushover.
Melbourne Park has been her most successful Grand Slam and her 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3 win in nearly three hours put her in the fourth round for a seventh consecutive time.
In 2015 she made a memorable run to the semifinals, losing to Maria Sharapova, who is serving a drugs ban.
"It was an amazing match, an amazing fight," Makarova said. "This is my favourite Grand Slam and I really want to stay here.
"I want to enjoy this win today because it is my first against Dominika and she is a great player."
Seeded 30, her reward is a last-16 showdown with either British ninth seed Johanna Konta or Danish former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki, who are both in good form.
It was a disappointing end for Cibulkova, who fell last year in the first round.
The Slovak, runner-up to China's Li Na in the 2014 final, looked out of sorts and was broken in her second service game after some probing baseline rallies.
She struggled to contain the left-hander's booming forehand and another sizzler down the line gave Makarova a second break to take control of the first set 4-1.
A frustrated Cibulkova began talking to herself between points and she pulled back a break when Makarova sprayed a forehand long and wide.
Makarova raced to a 4-0 second-set lead but Cibulkova then staged a stunning fightback, winning five games in a row as Makarova tired.
The Russian saved three set points in a 10th game that went for nine minutes before the set headed to a tiebreak, where Cibulkova prevailed.
After time off court during the changeover, Makarova returned and they traded breaks in an intense third set before Cibulkova sent a forehand wide to hand over the advantage.
It was all Makarova needed as she clung on for a famous victory.
LUCIC-BARONI FIRES ANOTHER BLAST FROM THE 1990s
Nineties doubles queen Mirjana Lucic-Baroni claimed another Australian Open scalp Saturday to keep her fairytale run alive at the opening Grand Slam of the year.
The 34-year-old Croat, who stunned third seed Agnieszka Radwanska in round two, came from a set down to end the dreams of Greek Maria Sakkari 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
She will now play American qualifier, Jennifer Brady who shocked 14th seed Elena Vesnina 7-6 (7/4), 6-2.
It has been a memorable tournament so far for Lucic-Baroni, who won the Australian Open doubles title way back in 1998.
Until this year she had never gone beyond the second round since her debut in 1998, setting the new record of a 19-year gap between wins at a single Grand Slam tournament.
It surpassed the previous record held by Japan's Kimiko Date, who went 17 years between victories at Wimbledon between 1996 and 2013.
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