By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, May 13, 2019
Rome represents romance and renewal for Serena Williams.
Playing with passion and purpose in her Rome return, Williams powered past Swedish qualifier Rebecca Peterson, 6-4, 6-2, into the Internazionali BNL d’Italia second round.
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In her first Rome appearance since she raised the 2016 title, the four-time champion looked fit, played fast and dropped serve only once.
Later, older sister Venus Williams converted her ninth match point edging Elise Mertens, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (4), in a wild three-hour marathon to set up a sisterly showdown in the second round on Wednesday.
It will be the Williams sisters first meeting on European clay since the 2002 Roland Garros final, which Serena won 6-2, 6-3. The sisters' last meeting on clay came on the Har-Tru (green clay) of Charleston with Serena surrendering just three games in a 2013 semifinal sweep. Serena owns an 18-12 lead in their head-to-head rivalry.
"It's crazy," Serena told Tennis Channel's Prakash Amritraj of a possible sisterly showdown. "Obviously, I hate playing her early on. I just prefer we're on opposite sides of the draw, but it never seems to happen.
"It is what it is, regardless of who wins that match, it will be a really tough match. So we'll see what happens."
Venus Williams opened a 5-1 third-set lead and could see the finish line. The 20th-ranked Mertens held in the seventh game. Serving at 5-2, 40-15, Venus could not close as Mertens saved six match points to break.
Two games later, Williams was serving at 5-4 when she failed to convert a couple of more match points.
Deadlocked at 3-all in the tie breaker, Mertens hit a backhand that crashed into the top of the tape and plopped on her side. A second straight backhand error gave Williams a 5-3 lead. The 39-year-old Williams finally closed on her ninth match point when Mertens missed a return.
Clad completely in black, save for match white wristbands and headband, Serena Williams started slowly and grew stronger on serve as the match progressed before a supportive crowd, including husband Alexis Ohanian. The couple met for the first time he Rome Cavalieri hotel in May of 2015. Alexis later proposed to Serena at the same hotel near the spot where they first met.
The 10th-seeded Williams hit 28 winners—20 more than the world No. 58—including 10 aces and dropped serve only once in her first match since she stopped Peterson 6-3, 1-6, 6-1, in Miami before withdrawing from her home tournament with a left knee injury.
It was Serena’s 44th career Rome win—she’s won matches and titles in the Eternal City than any other active woman—as she raised her 2019 record to 7-2.
Peterson knocked off 2010 French Open finalist Samantha Stosur, 7-5, 7-5, in qualifying and came out with stubborn resolve against Williams.
The 23-year-old Swede saved three break points in her first two service games.
Squandering break points, the world No. 11 showed some more signs of rust hitting a double fault and slapping a forehand into the middle of the net gifting the break at 15 in the fourth game as Peterson snatched a 3-1 lead.
Stamping down her Nikes to free up clumps of clay from her treads, Williams shook the rust off her game, began moving with more urgency and roared through five of the next six games to snatch a one-set lead.
As the opening set progressed, Williams found the rhythm on serve winning 12 of the last 13 points on her serve and slamming successive love holds for a one-set lead.
Striking her first serve with sting, Williams rapped 10 aces against five double faults and won 82 percent of her first-serve points in the match.
Dynamic movement on clay is tough to produce without match play.
Pop culture power Serena walked the pink carpet at the Met Gala last week and her final break of this Rome return showed she's been putting in some sprints on the red clay.
Swarming forward for a forehand, Williams knocked off a swinging backhand, turned to change direction then scrambled back to curl a cross court forehand breaking for 5-2.
The final game was the trickiest test of the second set for Williams.
Serving for the second round and a possible date with Venus, the 23-time Grand Slam champion whipped an ace down the T to open but then grew a bit flat-footed sailing a backhand to face double break point.
Reloading, Williams smacked a shot down the line then swatted her ninth ace to erase both break points.
Sliding her 10th ace out wide brought Williams a second match point and she closed in 75 minutes on a Peterson error.
Garbiñe Muguruza broke seven times in a row defeating Zheng Saisai, 6-3, 6-4, in a match that featured 12 service breaks. Monterrey champion Muguruza snapped a slide of three straight losses.
The former French Open champion will face either 11th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki or Australian Open semifinalist Danielle Collins next.