MELBOURNE, Australia -- This was quite a return for Serena Williams. Almost as if she never left.
In her first match at the Australian Open since winning the 2017 title while pregnant -- and her first official match anywhere since a loss in the chaotic US Open final in September -- Williams looked to be at her dominant best, overpowering Tatjana Maria 6-0, 6-2 in the first round Tuesday.
"I kind of like to jump in the deep end and swim, and see what happens," Williams said in an on-court interview after the 49-minute workout.
Williams hadn't dipped her toe in Grand Slam waters since New York, where everything devolved after she was warned for getting coaching, then docked a point for breaking a racket and eventually docked a game for calling the chair umpire "a thief" during the final.
When that match was mentioned by a reporter during Williams' news conference Tuesday, as part of a question about whether coaching should be allowed during matches at majors, she replied, "I, like, literally have no comment."
Truth be told, the match against Maria was not much of a test for Williams, given that the 74th-ranked German entered with an 11-15 record in first-round matches at Grand Slam tournaments. Maria only once has made it as far as the third round at any major and owns one career WTA title after a dozen years on the tour.
Williams, meanwhile, is pursuing an eighth title in Melbourne and 24th Slam trophy overall, which would equal Margaret Court -- whose career spanned the amateur and professional eras -- for the most in tennis history.
"I have been going for the record [for] what seems like forever now," the 37-year-old Williams said, "so it doesn't feel any different."
Williams needed all of 18 minutes to wrap up the first set, ceding just five of 29 points along the way.
The American, a former No. 1 who is seeded 16th after playing only 24 matches in 2018, never faced a single break point and compiled a 22-7 edge in winners.
"Maybe," Maria said afterward, "I was a little bit overwhelmed."
The two players have homes near each other in Florida. "We do sometimes barbecue together," Maria said. Their daughters -- Williams' is 16 months old; Maria's is 5 years old -- share play dates.
"I think the last time I was here, I was actually pregnant and playing at the same time, which is insane," Williams said. "It was kind of weird walking back on -- by myself, this time."
Two years ago, no one knew Williams was carrying her child while winning her 23rd major to break a tie with Steffi Graf for the most in the half-century professional era. Her baby, Olympia, was born on Sept. 1, 2017, and Williams was off the tour until last March. Her Grand Slam return came at the 2018 French Open, where she reached the fourth round before withdrawing with an injured chest muscle, and was followed by runner-up showings at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Because of a health scare after giving birth, Williams wears compression stockings during matches to try to make sure she doesn't get blood clots again.
On a humid afternoon with the temperature topping 90 degrees Tuesday, Williams wore a green leotard -- she called it a "Serena-tard" -- and while her dangerous serve produced only two aces, her other tools were in working order.
When Williams returned to the tour last season, she often was asked to rate herself in comparison to how good she played in the past. She has no interest in that sort of comparison now.
"I don't want to give myself a ranking anymore. I think it gives me too much negative expectations. I always expect to reach the sky, and anything below it is not good enough for me," said Williams, who'll next face 2014 Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard, a winner over wild-card entry Peng Shuai. "I don't know. I just know that I'm going in the right direction. I feel like I'm in the right direction. We'll see."
Venus Williams also played Tuesday and was one game from being ousted before coming all the way back to eliminate 25th-seeded Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-2.
Williams needed more than two hours to pull out the victory and avoid what would have been her fourth opening-round loss in her past six appearances in Melbourne. This is the first time in five years that Williams is not seeded at a Grand Slam tournament. She is a seven-time major champion and a two-time runner-up in Australia but is currently ranked only 36th.
Williams trailed by a set and a break at 5-3 in the second when Buzarnescu served for the match. Williams broke at love there, was better in the second tiebreaker, then surged ahead quickly in the final set with a break to lead 2-0.
Elsewhere Tuesday, Simona Halep climbed out of a deficit of a set and a break to avoid becoming the first No. 1-seeded woman to lose in the Australian Open's first round in 40 years. Halep reeled off the last four games, and 13 of the final 15 points, to come back and beat Kaia Kanepi 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-2.
Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka's return to the Australian Open for the first time since 2016 ended with a loss to No. 110-ranked Laura Siegemund, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-2.
The first set was delicately poised in the tiebreaker when Azarenka took control, but Siegemund said she "took time out and I reset myself" in the break and regained control of the match. She broke the 29-year-old Azarenka's serve seven times, including three times in the last set.
Naomi Osaka's first appearance at a Grand Slam tournament as a major champion was a successful one. She beat Magda Linette 6-4, 6-2 to end play at Rod Laver Arena on Day 2 of the Australian Open. Osaka, who beat Serena Williams in last year's US Open final, needed just 58 minutes for her first-round win over Linette.
Daria Kasatkina also lost 6-3, 6-0 to Timea Bacsinszky. Kasatkina, who reached the quarterfinals at the French Open and Wimbledon and broke into the top 10 in October after winning a title in Moscow, struggled with her serve and had nine double-faults in the 55-minute defeat.
It was the third consecutive tournament in Australia where Kasatkina lost in the first round, following her early exits at the Brisbane International and the Sydney International.
Other seeded winners Tuesday included No. 7 Karolina Pliskova, No. 12 Elise Mertens, No. 13 Anastasija Sevastova, No. 17 Madison Keys and No. 18 Garbine Muguruza.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.