Top Seed Open: No fans, no problem as 'calm' Serena Williams wins on return, to face Venus next

Serena Williams shrugged off the absence of fans to make a winning return from her six-month coronavirus layoff on Tuesday, defeating lowly ranked Bernarda Pera in three sets at the WTA Top Seed Open tournament in Kentucky. Williams, who before Tuesday had not played a competitive game since a Fed Cup appearance in February, came from behind to defeat American world number 60 Pera 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in two hours and 15 minutes at the Top Seed Tennis Club in Lexington. The former world number one’s first round victory played out to an empty arena. This week’s tournament - the first WTA event in the US since the COVID-19 pandemic - is taking place without spectators. Williams, 38, later revealed that the sedate surroundings had suited her game. “It was a really calm atmosphere, it was really chill,” Williams said. “I can’t say I disliked it. I didn’t mind it at all. I’ve been through so many things in my career and this was totally different. I think I won today because I was calm for once in my career. “Kind of reminds me of junior days. Something nostalgic about that. I kind of enjoyed it.” The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion looked to be flirting with an early exit in the second set, but recovered from 0-40 down at 4-4 before holding and eventually winning the set. “I just knew I could do better,” Williams said. “It was an interesting game. I just had to get used to her game a little bit. She played really well.” Williams will now play sister Venus, who beat Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-2, in the second round. Pera had seized an early advantage in the first set, breaking Williams to take a 3-2 lead before holding for the remainder of the set to win 6-4. Williams was soon in trouble on her service game in the second set, falling 0-40 in the opening game before battling back to hold. Williams moved into a 3-1 lead with a break of Pera’s serve in the fourth game, but her Croatia-born opponent hit back immediately with a break of her own before holding to level at 3-3. With the next two games going to serve, Williams looked to be in trouble after falling 0-40 down in the ninth game. But she dug deep to hold for a 5-4 lead and then broke for the set when Pera sent a forehand return wide. The momentum spilled into the deciding set, and another misdirected forehand from Pera handed Williams a break to move into a 3-1 lead. Another break took her into a 5-1 lead and she closed out the win by holding to love, wrapping up victory with a cross-court forehand that left Pera stranded. This week’s WTA tournament is the first to be staged in the United States since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the tennis season earlier this year.