Top seed Serena Williams again flirted with disaster before staging a barnstorming comeback to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals after a three-set dogfight with Spain's Garbine Muguruza Monday.
The American 18-time Grand Slam champion beat the 24th seed 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to set up a final eight clash with last year's finalist Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, seeded 11.
Williams, 33, is chasing her sixth Australian title and could lose her coveted number one ranking if she fails.
But the lacklustre starts that have plagued her this year at Melbourne Park continued against the highly rated Spanish 21-year old, who seized her chance and took the first set.
"I didn't start out so well and she did everything she needed to do in the first set, so I just decided to do my best, stay focused and relax," Williams said.
The world number one also dropped a set in the third round and was one point away from doing so in the second.
Muguruza went into the match with a 1-1 record against Williams, including bouncing her from last year's French Open, and showed no signs of nerves against the world number one.
Yelling "c'mon Serena, play better", Williams struggled for consistency, sending down two aces but committing two crucial unforced errors when she conceded a second break that gifted Muguruza the first set.
However, she was unfazed at the slow starts, confident she could step up a gear when necessary, even against a youngster as gifted as Muguruza.
"I've been playing for a long time. When I have to go up a level, I have to," she said.
"I can't afford to stay at the same level or I will be where I was at the French Open. I definitely didn't want to be there without at least trying to give 1,000 percent."
She struggled with a hacking cough through much of the match but dismissed suggestions that could be the reason for her lacklustre starts.
- 'Relax, relax' -
Williams has a 4-0 record against Cibulkova but was full of respect for the diminutive Slovak's fighting qualities.
"She's a really good player. I mean, to be her size, she hits so hard and she plays so well," the American said.
"She's just such a power, compact, great player. I just have to stay focused and not underestimate her. She actually almost beat me before. I want to make sure I come ready and prepared."
After losing the first set to Muguruza, Williams squandered an early break in the second when she allowed the Spaniard to break back.
Muguruza then refused to buckle as Williams hammered away at her serve but the American's persistence paid off two games later when she broke then belted down three straight aces to force a deciding set in style.
But she blew three break points in the opening game of the third, telling herself "relax, relax" after shanking a forehand wide.
It was then Williams' turn to come under pressure, surviving six break points in a game that stretched almost 15 minutes, then comfortably breaking the Spaniard in the next.
It proved a turning point, with the dispirited Muguruza offering little further resistance as Williams wrapped up the match in exactly two hours.
Source: AFP
