Serena Makes Successful Return to Tennis

MIAMI - Serena Williams didn't waste anytime making her grand re-entrance into the tennis world, needing only 42 minutes to win her first match in more than eight months. Williams defeated Spain's Marta Marrero, 61 60, on Friday to advance to the third round of the NASDAQ-100 Open.
The top seed and defending champion, out of action since defending her title at Wimbledon because of surgery to repair a partial tear of her left knee quadriceps, looks very close to the dominating player that won four straight Grand Slam titles.

"I was very nervous going out there," said Williams, describing the moments leading up to his return match. "I think my dad was with Venus practicing, so I was just waiting on my own. But then I decided that I'm just gonna go out there and do the best I can."

Though she hasn't played in more than half a year, Williams was still very critical of her game, citing several things she could have improved on in her comeback match.

"I think I could have done a lot of things better, actually," Williams said. "I think I miss hit a few balls, I made a few errors. I think I came in pretty well, my approach shots."

For the second straight week, Marrero was forced to play the tournament's top seed after qualifying. Last week, Marrero reached the main draw and had to face World No.1 Justine Henin-Hardenne. This time, she had the challenge of playing Williams.

"It's hard to play with someone like Serena," Marrero said. "But it's good to play with someone like her. It's good experience."