Serena Williams survives upset bid, meets Venus next in Top Seed Open in Kentucky
Six months since her last competitive match, tennis superstar Serena Williams’ return to the court was far from normal.
And that was only partly due to the slow start that had her on upset watch toward the end of the second set of her eventual victory over No. 60-ranked Bernarda Pera on Tuesday afternoon.
She had to make some adjustments to overcome Pera’s upset bid, sure, but it was also quite the change of scenery for the sport’s biggest star.
Instead of the packed stadiums she’s accustomed to, Williams played her first match since February before only a handful of people. There were no fans or media members allowed at the Top Seed Open in Nicholasville due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, leaving only tournament officials and a few people associated with the players to watch Williams come back from a first set defeat to best Pera, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, in her opening match of the tournament.
There won’t be any fans at the U.S. Open later this month, either, but even a mostly empty Arthur Ashe Stadium will be an imposing venue. By that standard, center court at the Top Seed Tennis Club in Nicholasville — with cars whizzing by just yards behind the playing surface — struck Williams as quite the quaint setting for a return to competition.
She didn’t mind it.
“I didn’t know how I was going to feel. I didn’t know how I was going to do,” Williams said. “And the next thing I know, I was just — I don’t mind it, like I said. I don’t hate it. It’s weird. I think being in New York will be a little different, because there’s like this massive stadium. So I’ll probably have to see how that is. But this is like a solo court, and it’s small. It kind of reminds me of the junior days. So it was something kind of nostalgic about that, and I kind of enjoyed it.”
It wasn’t an enjoyable start to the morning for Williams, who dropped the first set to Pera and had to fight off one break point after another to keep from falling behind 5-4 in the second set, a deficit that could have easily led to a stunning exit in her return to competitive play.
Williams endured in that second set, however, and went on to dominate the third. It was clear as play progressed, the 23-time major winner became more comfortable on the court.
“I just knew I needed to do better. I knew I could do better,” she said. “And it was an interesting game — she hit so many winners and (hit) so low. I just had to kind of get used to her game a little bit. She played really well.”
It won’t get any easier as this week in central Kentucky progresses.
Next up for the top-seeded Williams will be her older sister, Venus Williams, who defeated two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka, 6-3, 6-2, on center court later Tuesday afternoon.
This will be the 31st professional match between the two sisters, with Serena holding an 18-12 advantage in a rivalry that dates back to 1998. Venus — a seven-time major winner — is ranked No. 67 in the world and, at 40 years old, is the oldest player in the top 400 of the WTA rankings.
The most recent matchup of the superstar siblings came at the 2018 U.S. Open, where Serena defeated Venus in the round of 32. This will be just their fourth match against each other over the past five years.
Serena sounded confident in her current level of training following Tuesday’s opener, pointing to greater things in the future as she preps for the U.S. Open — the sport’s first major since the COVID-19 shutdown — later this month.
“Compared to what I’m practicing, that was nothing,” she said of Tuesday’s performance. “So I know that I just needed more rhythm, maybe more time. Maybe to just be out there on a match. And I know it’s going to come.”
Gauff advances
Sixteen-year-old tennis sensation Coco Gauff won her opening match at the Top Seed Open in straight sets Tuesday afternoon, defeating qualifier Caroline Dolehide, 7-5, 7-5, to move on to the round of 16.
Gauff, from Delray Beach, Fla., came into the tournament at No. 53 in the WTA rankings and will face No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka — the No. 11 player in the world — in the next round. Gauff is also playing doubles this week, pairing with fellow American teenager Catherine McNally. Their first doubles match was scheduled for later Tuesday night.
Anisimova withdraws
Before play began Tuesday morning, Top Seed Open tournament officials announced that No. 4 seed Amanda Anisimova had withdrawn from the event before her first match. The New Jersey native bowed out of the Top Seed Open with a shoulder injury and was replaced by Francesca di Lorenzo.
Anisimova, 18, is the No. 28 player in the WTA rankings and the highest-ranked teenager in the world.
Another seeded player ousted
No. 7 seed Sloane Stephens became the third player among the eight seeded participants to bow out in the first round of the Top Seed Open.
Stephens, ranked No. 37 in the world, was defeated 6-3, 6-3 Tuesday by Leylah Fernandez of Canada (No. 120), who gained entry to the 32-player main singles draw through qualifying last weekend.
No. 3 seed Johanna Konta of Great Britain lost Monday, and then No. 4 seed Anisimova withdrew on Tuesday.
No. 1 Serena Williams, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 5 Yulia Putintseva, No. 6 Magda Linette and No. 8 Ons Jabeur all made it through safely to the round of 16.
Williams takes on her sister, Venus Williams in the next round. Sabalenka confronts 16-year-old phenom Coco Gauff.
This story was originally published August 11, 2020 at 1:35 PM.
