Barty puts positive spin on bad luck

PARIS - Being awarded a seeded position in a Grand Slam is generally the golden ticket for a tennis player, but 17th seed Ashleigh Barty might well be feeling particularly unlucky.

The Australian cruised past Natalia Vikhlyantseva into the second round of the French Open on Tuesday, only to find that her next opponent is all-time great and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.

Williams gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia last September, and is making her Grand Slam return at Roland Garros.