Daria Gavrilova knocked out of Yarra Valley Classic by Serena Williams despite bold showing

The scoreline shows Daria Gavrilova won only five games against Serena Williams - but it didn't tell the entire story as the Aussie star gave the US great a real run for her money.

Australia's Daria Gavrilova hits a return against Serena Williams of the US during their Yarra Valley Classic women's singles tennis match in Melbourne on February 1, 2021. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE --

Four points in, the upset was on.

Australia’s Daria Gavrilova – on the comeback trail from a series of foot-related setbacks – had the great Serena Williams wobbling, facing multiple break points in the opening game.

Williams fought back to deuce but still had to stave off a third break point before making it out of her service game.

Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Serena Williams was mightily relieved to get through a tough Daria Gavrilova challenge.

That promising start from Gavrilova was soon a distant memory.

Williams dropped just one game on the way to a one-set lead and eventually secured a relatively comfortable 6-1 6-4 passage into round three of the Yarra Valley Classic on Monday night.

She hammered consecutive forehand winners to complete the win in 94 minutes at Melbourne Park.

“It was a good match for me. It wasn’t easy at all,” Williams said.

“It was lots of rallies and lots of movement, and she’s from here, so she obviously always plays hard … and it felt good to clinch that in the end.”

Williams revealed she might not have played next week’s Australian Open if it was held in its regular mid-January timeslot, because of the Achilles injury that saw her withdraw from the French Open.

“(The delayed start) was great for me, because I needed the time. I couldn’t practise because of my achilles,” she said.

“I needed every time – I don’t think I would have been here if it was during the regular season.

“So, whew, that was an unwanted blessing, I would say, but it was much needed for me. Now, it’s a lot better.”

Daria Gavrilova put up a brave showing.

The 39-year-old remains one title short of Margaret Court’s grand slam record of 24 and without a major championship since the 2017 Australian Open.

However, the world No.11’s semi-final run at last year’s US Open was a none-too-subtle reminder she is still a force at this level.

The early rust on Monday was understandable in what was Williams’ first official match of the season, after a three-set win over Naomi Osaka in last week’s Adelaide exhibition event.

Gavrilova, on the other hand, was thrilled with her form in a comprehensive round one defeat of Viktoria Kuzmova and still managed a smile as she trudged from Margaret Court Arena.

She continues to manage an achilles issue and has dealt with separate plantar fasciitis and toe injuries in the years since she set her career-best ranking of 20 in 2017.

Elsewhere, Destanee Aiava progressed at the Gippsland Trophy with a 6-1 4-6 6-4 win over Chloe Paquet, but Ajla Tomljanovic lost 5-7 6-1 6-3 to Alize Cornet after a bright beginning.

‘I almost frickin’ cried’: Dasha joy at superstar date

Daria Gavrilova almost broke down in tears when, a month shy of turning 19, she watched American megastar Serena Williams walk on court to play her for the first time.

They’ve met twice more since – all straight-sets Williams victories – and there will be a fourth edition on Tuesday, after Australia’s Gavrilova blitzed Viktoria Kuzmova 6-2 6-0 in barely an hour.

The result was an emphatic reminder that the 26-year-old, once a member of the top 20, is on the way back after a horror, multi-year run with various foot-related injuries.

Daria Gavrilova lost only two games on Sunday.

Gavrilova continues to manage an Achilles tendinitis problem on her right foot – something she concedes is “never going away” – as well as plantar fasciitis and a toe issue on her left foot.

Her ranking subsequently went into freefall and was as low as No.788, but this win will propel her inside the top 400 and she’s already scored an Australian Open wildcard.

Up next is Williams, the player Gavrilova grew up idolising.

Despite boasting victories over the likes of Maria Sharapova, Naomi Osaka and Angie Kerber, she said facing the former world No.1 was another challenge altogether.

It wasn’t until Gavrilova’s post-match interview that she discovered her opponent, after her fiance and fellow player Luke Saville purposely kept it from her.

Gavrilova next faces Serena Williams.

“I asked, ‘Is it exciting?’. I thought it could be an Ash, a Halep or Serena, and then he waslike, ‘Nah, not really’, because he didn’t want to tell me,” Gavrilova said with a laugh.

“(I knew it was) either a really good draw, someone like a lucky loser, or someone super exciting.

“I’ve played her three times – once when I was very young, and they called me on court first and I was fine, but then they called Serena and the crowd went crazy and I almost frickin’ cried.

“I was like, ‘Oh, my God, it’s Serena’ … it is different. I think she’s the greatest.”

Gavrilova has suffered through painkilling injections, extended stints out and had her confidence rocked, but her ability to complete a quality training block has her primed.

Sam Stosur had no answers to Marie Bouzkova.

She still rates her speed as “top five” on the WTA Tour, but said it was too difficult to compare her form to her peak years in 2016 and 2017, when she twice made the last 16 at the Australian Open.

It was an otherwise tough day for Australians that, at times, appeared headed for a much more promising finish.

Astra Sharma, Olivia Gadecki and Lizette Cabrera all won the first set of their matches – Sharma even led Kaia Kanepi 2-0 in the second set – only to bow out.

Arina Rodionova, Maddison Inglis, Kim Birrell and Sam Stosur joined their countrywomen in exiting in the first round, across the Yarra Valley Classic and Gippsland Trophy events.