Playing her first match since the WTA Tour restart, top seed Serena Williams stormed back to beat American world No.60 Bernarda Pera 4-6 6-4 6-1 in the first round of the inaugural Top Seed Open presented by Bluegrass Orthopaedics in Lexington, Kentucky.
The 25-year-old Pera converted the sole break point she earned in the opening set and saved three break points she faced to take a one-set lead, but in the second set Williams gave much more resistance, twice managing to hold serve from 0-40 down and as Pera was serving to stay in the set at 4-5 Williams broke her to force a decider. The first two sets were a good warm-up for Williams, as the third set was the easiest for her.
The 38-year-old Williams has only recorded 13 career losses to players ranked outside the Top 50 and owns 345-39 record when competing as the top seed.
The American’s next obstacle will be her sister Venus, who defeated fellow multiple Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka 6-3 6-2 later on Tuesday. Serena and Venus are the two oldest players in the draw.
