"She turned up her game nicely; made me hit a lot of balls, got to a lot of balls and stepped up and hit some winners when she had her chance," Williams said. "It was nice to break back each time. After that I really didn't want to let go of my serve at all so I just did what it took. For her, there was a lot of pressure to consolidate those breaks, and that's where I had the advantage."
Next up for the American is No.8-seeded Tatiana Golovin, who beat No.12 seed Samantha Stosur, 62 61. Golovin will be a dangerous opponent for Williams; in their only prior encounter, on the same green clay court surface at Charleston two seasons ago, the French teenager prevailed in straight sets, 75 64.
"I haven't seen her play lately, but I'm looking forward to getting on court with her," said Golovin, whose win over Williams was her third of now eight career Top 10 wins. "She's definitely one of the toughest to beat when she's in top form."
"I expect to play well more than anything," added Williams. "I'm trying to elevate my game with each match - that's really what I want from my game."
)
