AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Venue: Melbourne Park Date: 18-31 January
Coverage: Live on BBC Red Button (streamed on BBC website) and Radio 5 Live sports extra daily from 0830 GMT, text commentary daily from 0000 GMT on BBC Sport website
Williams is using Sydney as her only Australian Open warm-upSerena Williams and Dinara Safina won their opening matches of the new season in very different style at the Sydney International.
Williams, the world number one, thrashed Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-1 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals.
Former number one Safina lost the opening five games against Agnieszka Radwanska before winning 7-5 6-4 in the Russian's fist match since October.
Third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova lost 7-5 6-2 to Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova.
"Definitely I'm very worried about the match today, and I have to improve and practice a lot before Australian Open but that's not the worst thing in the world," said Kuznetsova.