Melbourne, Australia — Monica Seles overcame a slow start and the agile retrieving of Francesca Schiavone for a 6-4, 6-4 victory today that put her in the Australian Open's fourth round.
Seles lost her serve in the first game of each set but then turned up the power. Seles lost to Schiavone in the Hopman Cup two weeks ago.
"I started off pretty weak," said Seles, the four-time champion who is seeded eighth. "I was anxious to play her. She runs down every ball."
Venus Williams looked healthy again and overpowered Daniela Hantuchova 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 to advance to the fourth round. After limping through a victory Wednesday with a recurrence of tendinitis in her left knee, Williams again was running wide for returns and chasing down drop shops.
In other third-round matches, Adriana Serra Zanetti beat 11th-seeded Silvia Farina Elia 6-2, 4-6, 6-4; 13th-seeded Magdalena Maleeva beat No. 18 Lisa Raymond 7-5, 6-1; and Martina Sucha defeated Asa Svensson 6-0, 6-4.
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