Serena and Venus win, now Williams sisters play each other
LEXINGTON, Ky. Serena Williams was calm in a return more dramatic than some might have expected even after a long layoff. Williams needed to rally to win in her comeback following a six-month layoff, beating unseeded American Bernarda Pera 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in Tuesday's first round of the Top Seed Open. Williams advanced to a second-round showdown against older sister Venus, who dispatched Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-2. The Croatian-born Pera eventually evened the set and had Williams down 0-40 at 4-4 before Williams, 38, rallied to stay on serve. She played really well.Williams needed another rally to win the next game before getting a hard-earned break to force a third set.
Naomi Osaka starts US Open title defense with win
(CNN) - Despite an up-and-down performance, Naomi Osaka's US Open title defense is underway in New York. "I don't think I've ever been this nervous in my life," Osaka said to ESPN on court after the win. The roller coaster continued in the second set, with Osaka saving three set points to make it 5-5. Osaka is looking to become first woman to defend a US Open title since Serena Williams won three in a row from 2012 to 2014. In January when she won the Australian Open, Osaka became the first woman to win her second consecutive major after winning her first since Jennifer Capriati did so in 2001 (Australian Open followed by the French Open).