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Serena and Venus Williams advance to 3rd round in Australia

Serena Williams of the U.S. follows through on a shot to  Vera Zvonareva of Russia during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Serena Williams of the U.S. follows through on a shot to Vera Zvonareva of Russia during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) Serena Williams of the U.S. follows through on a shot to Vera Zvonareva of Russia during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – The Williams sisters have advanced to the third round at the Australian Open, with top-ranked Serena fending off set points before going on a 10-game roll to beat Vera Zvonareva 7-5, 6-0 and Venus beating fellow American Lauren Davis in straight sets.

Serena Williams, seeking a sixth Australian and 19th Grand Slam title, saved three set points in the ninth game before holding to swing the momentum of the match.

She said Zvonareva, a two-time Grand Slam finalist who played only five tournaments in 2014, started out aggressive “and I was a little too passive.”

So she told herself: “‘You know Serena, you’ve done so well here, you have nothing to lose.”

Zvonareva only won eight points in the second set.