Winning return for Serena Williams

Stanford: Top-ranked Serena Williams won in her first match since defaulting in a doubles match with sister Venus at Wimbledon, beating Karolina Pliskova 7-5, 6-2 on Wednesday in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic.

 

At Wimbledon, Serena tried to play through a viral infection that caused her to lose her equilibrium during the doubles match. On Wednesday night, encouraged by a large crowd, Serena fought through a tough first set before she found her legs and took control of the match.

 

Earlier, Varvara Lepchenko beat second-seeded Angieszka Radwanska 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals, where she will face Sachia Vickery, the American qualifier who beat Monica Puig 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-1.