MELBOURNE, Australia — Serena Williams figured it was important to get off to a strong start against Eugenie Bouchard in the Australian Open’s second round Thursday.
‘‘Serena,’’ she said she told herself beforehand, ‘‘you’ve got to come out hot; you’ve got to come out firing.’’
No problem. Seeking her eighth title at Melbourne Park and 24th Grand Slam singles trophy overall, Williams opened as well as can be, and closed rather well, too, grabbing 13 of the initial 17 points, and 20 of the closing 24, to put together a 6-2, 6-2 victory over 2014 Wimbledon runner-up Bouchard.
‘‘She has to be the favorite to win this tournament,’’ Bouchard said. ‘‘It was tough to play against her. I always felt rushed, a bit on the back foot. She just has so much power.’’
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