Serena Williams through to round two

Serena Williams has advanced through to round two of the Australian Open by recording a victory over Tamira Paszek this afternoon.

The former world number one dropped only five sets on her way to a 6-3 6-2 win over her Austrian opponent.

It was a late finish for the two players, who were on court until 12.50am in Melbourne due to a backlog of matches.

Williams will now face the Czech Republic's Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in the next round.