Women tennis' world number one Serena Williams had finished the 2013 season with a 6-4, 6-4 win over German Andrea Petkovic to enter the Brisbane International quarter-finals.
The world No.1 was playing in what technically the first match of her 2014 season after a barnstorming 2013 in which she built a colossal 78-4 win-loss record, lifting the French and US Open crowns.
According to News.com.au, although the American ace was notably anxious in the first eight games of the new season, she however, broke Petkovic's service game in the ninth for 5-4 when the German netted a forehand volley.
The report mentioned that Williams's quarter-final opponent on Thursday is Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova, who won 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 over Japanese 43-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm, while fourth seed Jelena Jankovic, the former world No.1, earlier beat Russian Elina Svitolina 6-1, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.
They are followed by world No.2 Victoria Azarenka's second-round match against Australian wildcard Casey Dellacqua, the report added.