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		</div><p>Serena Williams is ready for a battle of the skaters when she goes up against Barbora Strycova in the Australian Open last 16.</p>
<p>Strycova, ranked 16th in the world, was a talented figure skater as a youngster growing up in the Czech Republic before deciding to focus on tennis at 12 years old.</p>
<p>Williams is also a keen skater, although on ice, and has previously been filmed showing off her moves with Caroline Wozniacki in New York.</p>
<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t do a triple Lutz, but I can maybe do a double,&#8221; Williams said, smiling.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have no idea. I just close my eyes and I just spin and I pray I don&#8217;t fall. If I do, I get up.<br />
&#8220;I used to ice-skate when I was younger but I was never a figure skater.</p>
<p>&#8220;Obviously I watched the winter Olympics, and the figure skating was the only thing I wanted to see.&#8221;<br />
Williams is still very much standing at the Australian Open after thrashing fellow American Nicole Gibbs 6-1 6-3 in round three on Saturday.</p>
<p>Despite tough opening tests against Belinda Bencic and Lucie Safarova, the 22-grand slam champion is yet to drop a set in Melbourne and looks in ominous form heading into the second week.</p>
<p>&#8220;It was good. I was so pumped up going against my first two opponents but I think that helped me out today,&#8221; Williams said &#8220;She started out really, really well, started with a lot of energy, and then I felt like at the same I really needed that. She really had a strong start.&#8221;</p>
<p>Williams&#8217; victory over Gibbs also came exactly 19 years after she first officially played her sister Venus in the 1998 Australian Open second round.</p>
<p>Venus triumphed 7-6 (7/4) 6-1 in the first of 27 career meetings, with Serena winning 16 overall and Venus 11.</p>
<p>&#8220;I remember the draw came out and I had to play her in the second round,&#8221; Serena said.</p>
<p>&#8220;I remember, I think we had a tough first set, and then she really went through in the second. Then she went on, I think, to the quarter-finals.</p>
<p>&#8220;She had a really good tournament that year. It was a great time. We really had so much fun playing. It was really exciting.</p>
<p>&#8220;Looking back, and looking at those moments, you don&#8217;t really get those moments back, but you can remember them so well.&#8221;</p>
<p>Venus, the oldest player in the women&#8217;s singles draw at 36, plays German qualifier Mona Barthel in the fourth round on Sunday.</p>
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