Serena eager to make amends

SERENA WILLIAMS vowed to get back out on the practice court after crashing out of the Australian Open.

The 13-time Grand Slam winner, 30, made error after error in her 6-2 6-3 defeat to Russian Ekaterina Makarova.

It was the American's first defeat in Melbourne since her quarter-final defeat to Jelena Jankovic in 2008.

Williams said: "I am always thinking about things I can do better next time around. That's usually how I respond.

"I'm already thinking about practising as soon as tomorrow. I can think of 100 things I can do."

Williams has missed the best part of 18 months through injury — she had to sit out last year's Australian Open — and her lack of match practice seemed to catch up with her in the blistering heat.

She added: "I didn't play well and I'm not physically 100 per cent.

"So I can't be so angry at myself, even though I am very unhappy. I know I can play 100 times better than I did this whole tournament."

World No56 Makarova was delighted to have registered the biggest win of her career.

She said: "I'm surprised because she's a great player and it's really tough to play against her.

"But I was feeling so good and so focused. I played my game and that's it.

"I won against Serena, that's amazing."

It does not get any easier for Makarova as she now faces countrywoman Maria Sharapova, who outlasted Sabine Lisicki in three sets, prevailing 3-6 6-2 6-3.

Sharapova said: "She's such a good opponent, she has such a big game and even though I didn't play my best tennis tonight I fought until the end and that got me through."

Ana Ivanovic's bid to reach her first grand slam quarter-final in three and a half years foundered at the hands of second seed Petra Kvitova, 6-2 7-6.

Ivanovic said: "It has been a nice tournament for me, I played some really good tennis and proved to myself that I can play at that level and compete against the best."

Kvitova will now meet Sara Errani in the quarter-finals after the Italian thrashed Jie Zheng 6-2 6-1.