Serena Williams Faces Tough Path

Thursday, January 18th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) â€” The swing Serena Williams took was a big one, even by her family's standards, and she made contact a millisecond too early, driving the ball into the net.

Williams hopped up and down and slapped her thigh in dismay, then took a deep breath.

``Calm down,'' she said to herself, and it was sound advice. Only two rounds have been completed at the Australian Open, and Williams needs to preserve some energy for the challenges to come.

She won impressively Thursday, dominating a slugfest with robust Russian teen-ager Nadejda Petrova 6-3, 6-2. But tougher tests await.

The sixth-seeded Williams could face Olympic silver medalist Elena Dementieva in the fourth round, three-time champion Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals, sister Venus Williams in the semifinals and defending champion Lindsay Davenport in the final.

``I just play it as it comes,'' she said. ``I think my game's going to get better as the rounds go on.''

Thirteen seeded women made it through two rounds. The top-seeded Hingis, who has lost three games so far, beat Els Callens 6-1, 6-0 Thursday. No. 3 Venus Williams defeated Meghann Shaughnessy 6-3, 7-6 (3). Dementieva, seeded ninth, overcame a match point in the second set to edge qualifier Andrea Glass 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3.

Thirteen seeded men remained too, but No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten is gone. He lost to Greg Rusedski 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 in the final match Thursday.

No. 5 Yevgeny Kafelnikov and No. 7 Lleyton Hewitt both staged comebacks. Kafelnikov lost just eight points in the final set and beat Nicolas Kiefer 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0. Hewitt, Australia's best hope for a title, lost the first five games but rallied past Tommy Haas 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-4.

Serena Williams has been overshadowed by her older sister in recent months but remains a threat to win any tournament. She won three singles events last year and teamed with Venus to win an Olympic gold medal in doubles, but it's been 16 months since her only Grand Slam title, at the U.S. Open.

Following three months off, Williams returned last week and reached the Sydney quarterfinals before losing to Hingis. Rustiness is evident in her erratic groundstrokes, with one shot a winner and the next sailing four feet long.

She said she's not concerned.

``When the big match comes, when it comes down to a point where you need it, I just really don't feel rusty anymore,'' she said. ``I feel like I'm there. That's what I need to feel.''

Williams said she practiced a lot during her break.

``I'm trying to change and become a new player,'' she said. ``There are a lot of young people coming up who really have nothing to lose. I know for sure that I'm going to have to improve and get a new look. They think they know my game, but they really won't.''

Williams was coy about what alterations she'll make. A left-handed forehand? An underhand serve?

``I don't really like to talk about what I'm trying to change,'' she said. ``I just think we should watch and see.''

Against Petrova, Williams showed few new frills, relying mostly on baseline muscle with an occasional trip to the net. Venus scouted from in the stands. The next Williams sibling showdown is perhaps three rounds away.