Serena Williams returns to Melbourne Park with rusty performance

Serena William progressed to the next stage with a rusty performance in Melbourne (GETTY IMAGES)

A rusty and agitated Serena Williams returned to Melbourne Park after a two-year break with a scratchy 6-3 6-2 win over Austria's Tamira Paszek today.

Williams, unable to defend her 2009 and 2010 titles last year due to a freak foot injury, entered Rod Laver Arena with only two matches under her belt in five months.

The lack of match practice showed for much of the 79-minute contest against the feisty Wimbledon quarter-finalist.

Muttering and cursing as her baseline rockets missed their targets, Williams knuckled down enough to break Paszek once in the first set and twice in the second, and closed out the match with a pair of booming serves.

The win was the 13-times grand slam champion's 15th in a row at the year's first grand slam. She faces Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in the second round.

Reuters