Williams battles back from brink

Serena Williams dug deep on centre court to earn a spot in the fourth round of the Australian Open while defending champion Amelie Mauresmo continued to impress on day five at Melbourne Park.

Number five seed Nadia Petrova had Williams in all kinds of trouble early in their encounter with the Russian taking the first set with ease and then breaking the American’s serve in the second to be well on her way to advancing.