Serena Rolls In First Match Since Wimbledon Scare
In her first match since exiting her doubles match at Wimbledon with what was called a viral infection, Serena Williams handled Karolina Pliskova 7-5, 6-2 to move into the third-round at the Bank of the West Classic from Stanford, C.A.
“I thought I played well,” said Williams. “I’m on the right path, I’m excited and I’m looking forward to my next match.”
Pliskova is a rising star on the WTA circuit and poses a big serve that is tough to break. Serena, however, looked to be sharp from the onset. She posted an excellent ratio of winners to unforced errors, 29 to 19, and ripped nine aces overall.
Serena was very focused when the big points came along and was able to break the strong serve of Pliskova on all three opportunities she faced.
“I was playing a player I knew was going to be very difficult to break, so it was really important for me to super focused on my serve today,” said Williams. “I’m still taking it a match at a time though—I’m just worried about doing what I want to do and what I’ve been practicing on the court.”
The younger Williams sister could potentially face fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic in the third-round. The former world number one Ivanovic takes on Canada’s Carol Zhao in a second-round bout later today.
While top-seeded Serena cruised into the next round, second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska came up short in her match yesterday. Unseeded American Varvara Lepchenko hung on to beat the Polish Radwanska 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to notch her first career victory over a top five player.
Lepchenko will next face Sachia Vickey, an American qualifier who knocked off Monica Puig in three sets.
