Sport
Serena Williams wins first match at Key Biscayne
No. 2-seeded Maria Sharapova overcame 12 double-faults and erased 10 break points to rally past Shahar Peer 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Two-time champion Kim Clijsters won for the second day in a row, beating No. 14-seeded Julia Goerges 6-2, 7-5. No. 13 Jelena Jankovic lost her opening match to Mona Barthel 6-0, 6-3.
Reigning U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur beat qualifier Valeria Savinykh 6-4, 6-0.
Health issues prevented Williams from playing at Key Biscayne in 2010 and 2011, and a left ankle injury has slowed her this year. Aside from two Fed Cup victories in February, she was playing for the first time since she lost in the fourth round at the Australian Open.
Williams, who received a first-round bye because she’s seeded 10th, looked fit but rusty and endured some sloppy moments. At one point she froze in a pose behind the baseline, hands on her hips as she fumed after making a flurry of mistakes.
“I got a little frustrated,” she said. “My frustration is more like a motivation frustration, so it helps me.”
While her returns were erratic, she served six aces and lost only seven of 34 points on her first serve.
Williams said she found her older sister’s first-round victory inspiring. Venus was diagnosed last summer with a fatigue-causing autoimmune disease, and Serena has tried to help her sister adjust to a restricted diet by keeping unhealthy food out of the kitchen.
Best friends since childhood, the sisters continue to share a home as celebrity millionaire adults, and Serena laughed when asked about the arrangement.
