Taiwanese No. 1 Hsieh Su-wei yesterday began her season with a comfortable straight-sets victory at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, while the ageless Venus Williams launched her 25th year as a professional by outlasting Victoria Azarenka in a three-set thriller.
Hsieh, who began the season as the world No. 28 after claiming her third title in Hiroshima, Japan, in September, her first since 2012, cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 victory over world No. 85 Polona Hercog in 63 minutes.
The Taiwanese third seed saved three of four break points and converted four of eight, winning 58 of the 100 points contested to improve her career record over the Slovenian to 3-2.
Hsieh next faces reigning Olympic champion and world No. 53 Monica Puig of Puerto Rico in the second round today, against whom she has a 0-2 career record.
In the showdown between the two former world No. 1s, 38-year-old Williams overcame Azarenka, nine years her junior, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
The 2 hour, 10 minute marathon was packed with power and precision, and in the end Azarenka’s nine aces were not enough.
Williams’ superior accuracy in the opening stages gave her the first set, before Azarenka took the second by blasting winners as she moved her opponent from side to side.
In the deciding third set there were two breaks by each player in the first six games, before Williams opened a gap to go 5-3 up when Azarenka was wide with a cross-court forehand.
The American then served for the match.
“I love my job, I love what I do, but tonight was not easy and maybe one of the toughest first rounds I’ve ever played,” Williams said, adding that it was what she needed to start the year.
“My goal was to get past the first round, did you see who I had to play, and we need these matches going into the Australian Open,” she said. “Now I’m hoping the next round will be fruitful for me.”
Julia Goerges, the defending champion, coasted through her first match with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Sweden’s Johanna Larsson, while fifth seed Barbora Strycova was forced into a three-set battle to survive Taylor Townsend.
Strycova raced to a 5-1 lead over Townsend, before the American lifted her game to force the match to a deciding set in which the Czech prevailed, winning 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3.
“It was very tough, I thought I was playing well at the beginning and she couldn’t find the court in the first set, but then she started to serve better, and with the wind and [her] a lefty, this mix wasn’t good for me and I couldn’t close it up at the end of the second set,” Strycova said.
American Sofia Kenin produced the first big upset of the tournament when she knocked out fourth seed Petra Martic 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.
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