Waching daily Jun 2 2018

Serena Williams is kicking off for the second round of the French Open vs Julia Goerges

In her second round against Australian Ashleigh Barty, when Serena Williams was trailing by a set and a break, she won a point on her opponent's serve and yelled her trademark, loud "Come on!" to will herself into action and shake off her inertia.

Two points later, she would let out another primal roar and fistpump — this time after an easy putaway at the net.

Serena broke back in that game and then went on to win the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 48 minutes.

Serena's win over the 17th-seeded Barty was her first against a top-20 player since returning from a 15-month break due to her pregnancy and post-birth health complications.

It was also the first win that gave concrete evidence that Serena is on the path to returning to the top of the women's game.

While Serenas first round match against Kristyna Pliskova was a contest of big serves and few rallies, Bartys crafty slice, well-placed forehands and variety troubled the American in the opening set.

Serenas movement looked sluggish as she was made to run from one corner of the court to another and she took time to recover between points.

She miscued her shots and leaked unforced errors, which allowed Barty to seal the opening set in just 31 minutes.

When Barty broke for love in the second set, a sense of dread filled Court Phillipe Chatrier.

But not for the 23-time Grand Slam champion.

Serena has been playing far from her best tennis but in both her opening two rounds she was able to dig deep and flip a switch when she needed it the most.

It was her champions mentality and never-say-die attitude that kicked in as she cleaned up her game and started hitting with more depth and pace.

Her ever-reliant serve helped her secure some easy points and as she grew in confidence, her 22-year-old opponent faded away.

Im probably not where I was before I left, Serena said in a post-match press conference after her win.

But the good news is I feel like Im definitely going to get there.

And I dont want to get there, I want to get beyond there.

I dont want to limit myself.

Thats what I want to look forward to doing..

Serena, who has won the French Open thrice in her career, has been quite vocal about her desire for a record-equalling 24th Major title.

Not that she needed any extra motivation, but the former World No 1 is playing with a changed perspective and a fresh outlook since becoming a mum.

Her priorities may have shifted but the drive is still there, and her reflective mood in press conferences has revealed a different facet to her personality.

This is a Grand Slam, my first one back.

I want to do the best that I can.

I want to be able to just do my best and one day tell my daughter that I tried my best.

When I was out there, thats all I was trying to do, Serena said on Thursday.

She might be unseeded and ranked outside the top-450 in the world at the moment, but once she steps on court she still has the aura of a ruthless competitor.

Her coach Patrick Mouratoglou had said ahead of Roland Garros that Serena is in the tournament to win the whole thing, otherwise she would not have entered the claycourt Major.

Two matches down, and she is only getting better with every challenge.

Serena, who had played only four matches (won two), since making her return after pregnancy needs more match time to continue her quest to get back to her best.

However, her next opponent could prove to be her sternest test yet.

Germanys Julia Goerges, seeded 11, has a wicked serve and powerful shotmaking in her arsenal and has the ability to match Serena for strength and pace on the court.

Goerges reached the final at Charleston in the buildup to the French Open the third round at Madrid.

If Serena does emerge victorious in her third round on Saturday, she could have a chance to renew her lopsided rivalry with Maria Sharapova.