Serena Williams launched her bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam with a straight sets mauling of Germany’s Tatjana Maria in the Australian Open first round Tuesday while Venus Williams fought back from a a set and a break down but has come back to beat 25th seed Mihaela Buzărnescu 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-2.

Meanwhile, world number one Simona Halep battled through with a come-from-behind win over Kaia Kanepi to stay in the tournament. Th Romanian had to dig deep against the woman who defeated her in last year’s US Open first round, eventually winning 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-2 victory.

The French Open champion was a finalist at Melbourne Park last year and will be looking for a major improvement to go deep this year after such a shaky start against the world number 71.

In an ominous warning to her rivals at Melbourne Park, the 2017 champion took just 49 minutes to dismantle Maria, justifying her status as bookies’ favourite to claim her eighth Australian title. The 37-year-old Serena will meet Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard in the second round, who eased past China’s Peng Shuai.

Her sister, the unseeded 38-year-old Venus, will meet Alize Cornet of France next.

However, fellow mom and two-time champion Victoria Azarenka didn’t enjoy a triumphant return as she was dumped o at the first hurdle, throwing away a one-set lead against Laura Siegemund.

The Belarusian, who has tumbled down the rankings since the birth of son Leo and a messy custody battle afterwards, slumped out 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2.

Germany’s Siegemund trailed 4-2 Azarenka in the second set before finding her second wind to come out on top of the almost three-hour marathon.

“I played a good first set and even though I was up in the tiebreak, I let go a little bit and she was right there,” said the world 110. “I kind of reset myself and knew I was playing a good match, and I just had to close in those situations.”

The win was her first at a Major since the 2016 US Open, as continues to work her way back from a major knee injury in early 2017.

For Azarenka, it was her worst performance at Melbourne Park since a first-round exit on her debut in 2006.

She won the title in 2012 and 2013, but missed the last two tournaments because of giving birth and the custody battle.

Big-serving sixth seed Elina Svitolina blasted into the second round with a 6-1, 6-2 win over qualifier Viktorija Golubic. Svitolina, who scored the biggest win of her career in clinching the WTA Tour Finals in Singapore in October, fired down nine aces to power past her Swiss opponent in just over an hour.

The Ukrainian was a quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park last year. But a Grand Slam breakthrough has so far proved elusive. Svitolina next meets Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia.

Seventh seed Karolina Pliskova brushed aside fellow Czech Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round. The 26-year-old made short work of her compatriot, dispatching her in 69 minutes.

“It’s a good start, I’m happy I didn’t have to spend too much time on court,” she said.

“I don’t know why but I always play good tennis here (in Australia).”

Pliskova has made the quarter-finals in her last two appearances at Melbourne Park and entered this year’s tournament on a high after winning the Brisbane International warm-up.

She has been a regular in the second week of Grand Slams in recent years, reaching the quarters or better six times since late 2016, but is still searching for a breakthrough win.

American Madison Keys, who reached the semis at the French and US Open last year, as well as the quarters in Melbourne, ensured she too lived to fight another day, crushing local wildcard Destanee Aiava 6-2, 6-2.

Results

1st round

Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) 6-2, 6-2

Carla Suarez (ESP x23) bt Clara Burel (FRA) 7-5, 6-2

Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 6-2, 6-1

Serena Williams (USA x16) bt Tatjana Maria (GER) 6-0, 6-2

Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) bt Darya Kasatkina (RUS x10) 6-3, 6-0

Natalia Vikhlyantseva (RUS) bt Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 6-7 (2/7), 6-2, 6-4

Johanna Konta (GBR) bt Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 7-6 (10/7)

Garbine Muguruza (ESP x18) bt Zheng Saisai (CHN) 6-2, 6-3

Camila Giorgi (ITA x27) bt Dalila Jakupovic (SLO) 6-3, 6-0

Madison Brengle (USA) bt Misaki Doi (JPN) 6-4, 6-0

Karolina Pliskova (CZE x7) bt Karolina Muchova (CZE) 6-3, 6-2

Tamara Zidansek (SLO) bt Daria Gavrilova (AUS) 7-5, 6-3

Laura Siegemund (GER) bt Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2

Hsieh Su-wei (TPE x28) bt Stefanie Vögele (SUI) 6-2, 6-1

Wang Qiang (CHN x21) bt Fiona Ferro (FRA) 6-4, 6-3

Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) bt Zarina Diyas (KAZ) 3-6, 7-5, 6-1

Bianca Andreescu (CAN) bt Whitney Osuigwe (USA) 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (0/7), 6-3

Anastasija Sevastova (LAT x13) bt Mona Barthel (GER) 6-3, 6-1

Elise Mertens (BEL x12) bt Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) 6-2, 7-5

Anastasia Potapova (RUS) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)

Madison Keys (USA x17) bt Destanee Aiava (AUS) 6-2, 6-2

Elina Svitolina (UKR x6) bt Viktorija Golubic (SUI) 6-1, 6-2

Venus Williams (USA) bt Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROU x25) 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/3), 6-2