SISTERS IN ARMS

Serena sets up cash with her sister Venus on return after Covid-19 hiatus

Down by a set, Serena Williams rallied before overcoming Bernarda Pera 4-6 6-4 6-1 at the Top Seed Open in Lexington, Kentucky on Tuesday in her first match of the COVID-19 era.

Williams was five points from falling to the American left-hander in the second set but suddenly showcased her fighting spirit and pulled away a thriller making a winning return to competitive tennis.

With this victory, she sets up an all sisters affair in the second-round showdown with older sister Venus, a 6-3 6-2 winner over Victoria Azarenka.

"It's good just in general because I haven't played. A lot of players have been playing - little things and little matches and playing against other players - but I've only been training so this was good for me," said Serena, who is gearing up for the August 31September. 13 US Open.

The Top Seed Open, the first WTA Tour tournament in the US since the COVID-19 outbreak halted play, provided a taste of what is to come for the 38-year-old American as she bids for a recordequalling 24th Grand Slam title in New York, with empty, silently stands taking the place of roaring crowds.

"I’ve been through so many

things in my career so this was different," said Serena. "Being in New York will be a little different because there’s this massive stadium."

Venus, who fell in the first round at the Australian Open, Acapulco, and Monterrey earlier this year, cruised through her clash of former world number ones as she turned aside from the one break point she faced during an 80-minute win over Azarenka.

In other encounters, former US Open champion Sloane Stephens was upset by Canadian Leylah Fernandez, Kazakhstan's Yulia Putinseva beat Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic and Coco Gauff beat fellow American Caroline Dolehide.