Serena displayed great mobility to win successive points after long rallies -- one of 21 shots, one of 13 -- and secure what proved to be a decisive break of serve.
World number one Rafael Nadal produced a ruthless performance to win his 75th singles title, beating Australian Nick Kyrgios 6-2, 6-1 in the China Open final on Sunday.
US Open champion Sam Stosur made a premature exit at the Indian Wells WTA tournament on Monday while second seed Maria Sharapova advanced in straight sets.
Novak Djokovic will begin his Australian Open title defence against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, while reigning women's champion Sofia Kenin meets wild card Maddison Inglis, following the draw for the year's first Grand Slam on Friday.
This year's Australian Open will be allowed to admit up to 30,000 fans a day, around 50% of usual capacity, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Red-hot Rafael Nadal faces Delbonis, says majors tally not a focus
Sharapova, making her return to top-flight tennis after serving a doping ban, defeated Romanian Halep 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to move into the 2nd round of the final major of the year.
Of the top 15 on Forbes' list of best-paid female athletes, 12 were tennis players. Indian badminton player PV Sindhu came in tied for 13th ($5.5 million), with Thai golfer Ariya Jutanugarn ($5.3 million) rounding out the top 15.
Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer, who turns 40 this year, takes on Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in round one.
The Canadian set the tournament alight with a scintillating, three-set win over Maria Sharapova on Tuesday after her outspoken comments about the Russian returning from her 15-month doping ban, including calling her a cheater.
Opportunity knocks for Serena Williams on the grass courts of Wimbledon next week when she faces a diminished field on her best surface at the famous All England Club.
Serena Williams creates ripples with her latest outfit.
Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska moved within one win of securing a place at the WTA Finals after thrashing Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-1 in the semi-finals of the Tianjin Open on Saturday.
Thirteen months ago, Comaneci was the first person Halep hugged when she clambered up into the stands on Court Philippe Chatrier after she won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open.
France's Marion Bartoli and Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova suffered shock first-round exits from the Rogers Cup as the two seeded players were eliminated on Monday by a pair of gritty qualifiers.
The unseeded Ostapenko, 20, downed Romanian third seed Simona Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the final, hitting a staggering 54 winners and taking her tournament tally to 299.
The Serbian had to save two set points in the first set before finding his groove to reach his 10th title clash in Rome and remain on course to win his 36th ATP Masters 1000 crown and overtake Rafael Nadal on the all-time list.
World number one Novak Djokovic turned the page on his contentious US Open exit and began his claycourt season with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory over wildcard Salvatore Caruso in the second round of the Italian Open.
Federer, Djokovic headline Day 2 at Flushing Meadows
Images from Day 9 of the French Open in Paris on Monday.
Fifth seed Simona Halep of Romania took advantage of an error-prone display by American Madison Keys to claim her 14th WTA title with a 7-6(2), 6-3 victory in the Rogers Cup final in Montreal on Sunday.
The women's singles is wide open, Arantxa said, but picked Halep as favourite.
Simona Halep became the first Romanian in 40 years to lift the French Open trophy at Roland Garros on Saturday.
Check out the various outfits that caused controversy during the tournament.
Reactions to Novak Djokovic winning his 20th Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon
Images from Day 8 of Wimbledon 2022 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, on Monday.
Images from Tuesday's action at the Australian Open.
Can World No. 1 Simona Halep thrive at the All England Club? Or will Serena Williams add to her seven Wimbledon titles?
Karolina Pliskova, a grand slam underachiever, took a big step towards shedding that unwanted label by sweeping past Croatian teenager Ana Konjuh 6-2 6-2 on Wednesday to roar into the semi-finals of the U.S. Open.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 2022 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Tuesday.
Victoria Azarenka defeated Spain's Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-1, 6-3 to set up a second round meeting with Jelena Jankovic.
Top seed Simona Halep came back from 4-1 down in the deciding set to beat Elina Svitolina 6-3 3-6 6-4 in the Qatar Open semi-final on Friday, marking her first victory over the Ukrainian in nearly two years.
Garbine Muguruza roared into the French Open semi-finals with a 6-2, 6-1 demolition job of Maria Sharapova on Wednesday.
Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska booked a spot at the end of season WTA Finals in Singapore after outclassing Montenegrin Danka Kovinic to win the Tianjin Open in China on Sunday.
Serena Williams, hoping to win a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title, will start her campaign against fellow American Kristie Ahn.
The older Serena Williams gets, the more dominant she becomes. At 33, an age when most players start to fade, her grip on women's tennis looks as secure as ever.
World No 1 Serena Williams suffered one of the heaviest defeats of her long and illustrious career as she was humbled 6-0, 6-2 by Romanian Simona Halep at the WTA Finals on Wednesday.
World number two Simona Halep beat Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-2 in the China Open third round on Wednesday for her first win over the Russian in eight attempts.
Images from Day 8 of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Monday.
Factbox on Japan's Naomi Osaka, who beat Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to win the US Open title on Saturday.
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