Williams Back In Rome
Top-seeded Serena Williams advanced to the third round by cruising to a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Anna-Lena Friedsam on Tuesday at the Italian Open in Rome.
The match was the first for Williams since March 28 and she needed just 75 minutes to finish off Friedsam.
Friedsam, of Germany, tied the second set 2-2 before Williams rolled the rest of the way.
Williams was scheduled to play in last week’s Madrid Open but had to withdraw because of the flu. The Italian Open is just the American’s fourth tournament of the year.
In another women’s match, eighth-seeded Carla Suarez-Navarro of Spain defeated Brazil’s Teliana Pereira 6-1, 7-5.
On the men’s side, sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan recovered from a shaky first set to produce a 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Viktor Troicki of Serbia.
Eighth-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic defeated Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 6-4. Berdych will face 12th-seeded David Goffin of Belguim in the third round after Goffin posted a 6-4, 6-4 victory over American Jack Sock.
Fourth-seeded Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland had to rally to defeat France’s Benoit Paire 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.
Argentina’s Juan Monaco defeated 16th-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, and France’s Lucas Pouille was a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 winner over Ernests Gulbis of Latvia.
