CINCINNATI – Serena Williams re-established her customary superiority, hammering Daria Gavrilova, 6-1, 6-2, to reach the second round of the Cincinnati Masters on Monday.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion showed full recovery in her first match since suffering the worst defeat of her career two weeks ago in San Jose when she was crushed, 6-1, 6-0, in 51 minutes by British No. 1 Johanna Konta.
But the 36-year-old was all business Monday as she cleaned up on Australian Gavrilova, with Williams winning an 11th straight match here.
“I’m feeling pretty good tonight. It’s never easy, no matter what the scoreline says,” Williams said.“I definitely felt relaxed after the first break, but you’ve got to keep going.”