Tennis - Serena too strong for Karatantcheva in Bastad
Tennis - Serena too strong for Karatantcheva in Bastad
Serena Williams enjoyed a comfortable afternoon on her first WTA appearance since Wimbledon on the red clay of Bastad, Sweden.
The world number one and top seed was too strong for Sesil Karatancheva of Kazakhstan as she raced to a 6-1 6-2 victory.
Williams is the red-hot favourite for the tournament with the second seed in the event – Germany's Annika Beck – being ranked only 50th in the world.
Still it is a popular event on the tour and was voted WTA's tournament of the year in 2012.
A packed crowd watched Serena in action but the contest last only 64 minutes as world number 131 Karatancheva found the step up in class a little too much.
Next up for Williams is a clash with Georgia's Anna Tatishvili, who defeated Swiss wild card Belinda Bencic in three sets.
WTA Bastad round one results
Andrea Gamiz (Venezuela) beat 4-Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) 6-1 6-3
1-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Sesil Karatantcheva (Kazakhstan) 6-1 6-2
6-Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) beat Anastasia Grymalska (Italy) 6-3 5-7 6-1
Richel Hogenkamp (Netherlands) beat Lara Arruabarrena Vecino (Spain) 6-3 6-3
3-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) beat Ellen Allgurin (Sweden) 6-1 6-1
Nina Bratchikova (Russia) beat Lesley Kerkhove (Netherlands) 6-3 6-1
Anna Tatishvili (Georgia) beat Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) 2-6 6-4 6-4
Teliana Pereira (Brazil) beat Dinah Pfizenmaier (Germany) 3-6 6-2 7-5
Alexandra Dulgheru (Romania) beat Caroline Garcia (France) 7-6(2) 6-1
Mathilde Johansson (France) beat Julia Cohen (U.S.) 6-2 6-3
WTA Bad Gastein round one results
Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (Austria) beat Tereza Mrdeza (Croatia) 6-4 6-3
Alexandra Cadantu (Romania) beat Maria Joao Koehler (Portugal) 6-2 6-4
Mandy Minella (Luxembourg) beat Dia Evtimova (Bulgaria) 6-2 2-6 6-3
2-Annika Beck (Germany) beat Shahar Peer (Israel) 7-5 6-3
6-Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Slovakia) 6-1 6-4
Andrea Hlavackova (Czech Republic) beat Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) 6-3 6-1
Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) beat Michaela Honcova (Slovakia) 6-2 6-2
Lisa-Maria Moser (Austria) beat Elena Bogdan (Romania) 7-6(6) 2-6 6-4
Viktorija Golubic (Switzerland) beat 5-Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) 6-2 6-2
Estrella Cabeza Candela (Spain) beat Tadeja Majeric (Slovenia) 6-1 6-3
