STANFORD: Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams advanced to the second round of the WTA Stanford hardcourt tournament on Tuesday by defeating Poland’s Paula Kania 6-3, 6-2.
Williams booked a second-round match against world number 10 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus at the US Open tune-up event.
Another highly anticipated second-round matchup at the event will see world number one Serena Williams, a 17-time Slam champion who exited Wimbledon after struggling with a virus in a weak doubles showing with her sister, face 45th-ranked Czech Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday night.
Venus fired seven aces in the 73-minute match. After taking a 4-0 lead with two service breaks in the second set, she fended off five break points in her last two service games, and sealed the win when her 21-year-old challenger hit a forehand into the net.
“She was a fighter,” Williams said. “She has a diverse game, she can come to the net, she serves pretty well. She just kept staying in there, so I was happy to win the match.”
AFP
