``It's hard to breathe,'' said Williams, who sat gulping air during the changeovers. ``But it's OK, I like the heat.''
Williams, who missed the Australian Open with an injury last year before winning the other three majors, has struggled early in three of her four matches here so far. In yesterday's first set, she gestured in exasperation over some of her misses.
Her serve was broken twice in the set, but she broke three times. The 20-year-old Daniilidou, who's from Greece and was seeded 18th, helped by double-faulting eight times.
Williams then settled down, reducing her errors from 21 in the first set to six in the second.
``I always say, `OK, keep trying,' Williams said. ``I got out to a slow start, which is something I don't want to happen'' as the matches get tougher.
Shaughnessy, a 23-year-old American who's seeded 25th, reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event for the first time by winning her 11th straight match to start the year.
Shaughnessy's previous best showing in a major came at the 2001 French Open and Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round.
``To beat Serena, you've got to attack her,'' Shaughnessy said.
RSS