Serena Williams powers through Taiwan's Hsieh into 3rd round at Australian Open

A 112-mph ace for match point was a fitting end to the contest between Serena Williams and Su-Wei Hsieh.

Williams, the No. 1 seed and defending champion, had a resounding seven aces in the match, averaging a first-serve speed of 103.1 mph, and dropped only three games on the way to a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 win in Melbourne.

The win marked the ninth consecutive victory at the Australian Open for Williams, and the fifth straight year that she's reached the third round.

"She's definitely a tricky opponent and I think it was a good matchup for me to play someone like that ... I kind of needed that," Williams said after the match. "There were just some things I've been working on in the offseason, so it worked out for me today."

Williams is looking to begin the current season in an identical manner to 2015, when she reigned supreme at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon, before Roberta Vinci's shocking upset over the American star in the US Open semifinals ended her chance at a Grand Slam.