Serena Maintains Winning Ways in First Round of Family Circle Cup
World number one and top-seeded Serena Williams was back in fine form before a supportive crowd defeating Camila Giorgi of Italy 6-2, 6-3 in Charleston, S.C. at the 2013 Family Circle Cup. Earlier, 2009 winner Sabine Lisicki defeated Anna Tatishvili 6-0, 6-0 in just 41 minutes before 2007 champion Jelena Jankovic defeated American Melanie Oudin 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
"I felt really good," said Serena, who moves to 18-4 lifetime in Charleston. "I think I played someone really good today and it’s good to get this under my belt."
Serena has now won 67 of her last 71 matches, a stretch that started at this event last year.
Jankovic, a former world number one and the ninth seed in Charleston, was winless in two matches against the Georgia native Oudin coming into their matchup.
"Sometimes when you lose against someone it’s always tricky to play the opponents," Jankovic said. "She has this game that I don’t really like and doesn’t really suit me, I always have trouble with her. It’s just her style of play is just difficult for me to play against."
Wild card Bethanie Mattek-Sands defeated the fourth-seeded Sloane Stephens, 6-2, 6-0 before a stunned crowd. It was the elder American’s first win in three efforts against the 20-year-old, who made the Australian Open semifinals.
Nineteen-year-old American Jessica Pegula notched her second career win ever, shocking the eighth-seeded Mona Barthel 7-6(4), 6-1. American Varvara Lepchenko also won her match, taking out France’s Mathilde Johansson 6-1, 4-6, 6-1.
American teenager Madison Keys, just 18, continued the winning trend by booking a place in the round of 32 with a 7-6 (3), 6-4 decision over Alexandra Cadantu. Keys trailed 2-4 in the second set before reeling off the final four games.
