American ace is 'solid' in 6-3, 6-2 win over Giorgi at season opener in Auckland
USA's Serena Williams celebrates a point during her first round match against Camila Giorgi of Italy in Auckland yesterday. Pic/Getty Images
Auckland: Serena Williams found her power game after a sluggish start as she overcame qualifier Camila Giorgi to open her 2020 season with a straight-sets victory at the Auckland WTA Classic on Tuesday.
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With an eye on the Australian Open later in the month, Williams, 38, worked her way into a blistering performance that proved too much for the 1.7 metre (5ft 6in) Italian. She described her first match since losing the US Open final in September as "solid" rather than spectacular.
"Spent a long time off from tournament play, match play, so solid is pretty good. It's a great start to build on," she said after sealing her 6-3, 6-2 victory with her eighth ace against the 99th-ranked Giorgi. "It's really good that I still have some power left in my arms and my legs."
Doubles helps Williams
Williams, originally drawn to play two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova before the Russian pulled out due to a virus, said her preparation had been helped by playing doubles with Caroline Wozniacki the previous evening which allowed her to adapt to the blustery Auckland weather.
"I knew it was going to be really tough but I think the doubles really helped. I got to come out here and play a little bit in these conditions and get used to them." After more than three months off court, Williams took time to settle and was forced to save an early break point with the first six games all going with serve.
Osaka wins in Brisbane
Meanwhile, Japanese star Naomi Osaka came from a break down in the third set to overcome Greece's Maria Sakkari in the first round of the WTA Brisbane International. Sakkari sniffed an upset when she won the second set in a tiebreak then broke Osaka's opening service game of the third set, but the former World No. 1 dug deep and won 6-2, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 in a two-hour opening-round clash.
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