Venus Williams faces a second round match against Sandra Zahlavova on Wednesday

Venus Williams, a former runner-up here, enters her second round matchup against Sandra Zahlavova as the clear favourite. She started the tournament with a straightforward 6-3, 6-2 win against Sara Errani, and will be aiming for another comfortable result on Wednesday. She outranks her Czech opponent by over ninety rankings positions, and should be able to finish this match in two sets.

Zahlavova has risen through the rankings at a steady pace in recent years, but is still a little inexperienced at this level. She’s only played in two Australian Opens, with her best finish occurring last year when she reached the round of sixty-four. This match is likely to be a memorable one for her, though a victory looks well out of reach.

Williams could be a major contender this fortnight, and her lack of activity on the tour wont necessarily hold her back. She has the ability to take months off at a time, and still reach the latter stages with a fair amount of ease. Whilst Zahlavova is likely to give it her all, the biggest tests for Williams are probably yet to come.