PARIS — There was no rust evident. No comeback needed. Serena Williams quite simply produced the best performance so far in her return to Grand Slam tennis and easily reached the French Open’s fourth round.
Williams dominated for stretches against 11th-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany, playing cleanly right from the start of a 6-3, 6-4 tour de force at Court Suzanne Lenglen that lasted a mere 75 minutes Saturday and lacked much in the way of theatrics.
Now, then, comes the drama. Waiting for Williams as she competes in a major tournament for the first time in 16 months – and since giving birth in September – will be a familiar foe, Maria Sharapova.
The 36-year-old Williams set up that showdown by making only three unforced errors in the opening set against Goerges. She won 12 consecutive points on her serve in one run.
The most anticipated matchup for a quarterfinal spot at Roland Garros will pit 23-time major champion Williams against five-time major champion Sharapova on Monday.
Sharapova advanced Saturday with a similarly lopsided win hours earlier, beating 2016 U.S. Open runner-up Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 6-1.
Williams has won the French Open three times, Sharapova twice. They are the only active women with a career Grand Slam; they are two of only six in history to accomplish that. They are Nos. 1-2 among active women in career clay-court titles: Williams has 13, Sharapova 11.
“Any time you play against Serena, you know what you’re up against. You know the challenge that is upon you,” Sharapova said. “Despite the record that I have against her, I always look forward to coming out on the court and competing against the best players.”
The head-to-head history is overwhelmingly in Williams’ favor: She has won 19 of 21 meetings, including 18 in a row.
The last time Sharapova beat Williams was – get this – in 2004. Still, Williams is not reassured.
“Quite frankly, she’s probably a favorite in this match, for sure,” Williams said. “You know, she’s been playing for over a year now. I just started. So, I’m just really trying to get my bearings and trying to feel out where I am and see where I can go.”
The last time they played was at the 2016 Australian Open. That was Sharapova’s final appearance before her 15-month doping ban.
“Well, it’s been a while,” Sharapova said, “and I think a lot has happened in our lives for the both of us, in very different ways.”
Other women moving into the fourth round included 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza, two-time French Open finalist Simona Halep, two-time major title winner Angelique Kerber and U.S. Open champ Sloane Stephens.
Men’s winners included 10-time champion Rafael Nadal, No. 3 Marin Cilic, No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro and No. 6 Kevin Anderson.
The story of Day 7, as has been the case every day she is on the schedule, was Williams. The careless errors were largely absent. The missing energy was back, and how. In front of a crowd that included former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, it took 15 minutes for Williams to gain the upper hand against Goerges.
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