She picked up her first victory since the 2021 French Open
on Monday, beating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3, 6-4 at the women’s National Bank
Open.
“I’m just happy to get a win. It’s been a very long time, I
forgot what that felt like,” Williams said.
It’s just the second tournament of the season for the
40-year-old Williams, who returned to competition at Wimbledon just over a
month ago. The 23-time Grand Slam champion fell in the first round to Harmony
Tan in three sets at the All England Club.
Before then, she last competed at the 2021 Wimbledon
tournament, where she retired in the middle of her first match due to a torn
hamstring suffered after slipping on the grass surface.
Williams, who will turn 41 at the end of September, will
next face either 12th-ranked Belinda Bencic or Tereza Martincova.
Williams has won this tournament three times and reached the
final in her last appearance at the hardcourt event in 2019, losing to Bianca
Andreescu when she was forced to stop because of injury.
But Williams has played little since and knows she needs
time on the court.
“I feel good, I felt like I competed well today. I think
that’s what I needed to do, is just compete,” she said. “Mentally, I’m getting
there. I’m not where I normally am (or) where I want to be. Any match I play,
whether I win or lose, helps me.
“I haven’t played a lot in the last year, (even) two years.
I think that helps me physically. I feel much better in practice, it’s just
getting that to the court. Literally, I’m the kind of person (where) it takes
one or two things and then it clicks.”
Williams started out strong, taking the first two games with
relative ease.
Parrizas-Diaz tied it 2-2, but despite Williams’ struggles
at certain points, the 31-year-old Spaniard couldn’t find enough of a consistent
flow to get ahead. Williams found her rhythm, mixing solid touch with her
signature power and putting shot after shot out of Parrizas-Diaz’s reach.
Williams’ effort had the fans on their feet roaring and some
even bowing.
Williams won the final three games to take the first set,
then surged ahead in the second after the 57th-ranked Parrizas-Diaz took a 4-3
lead. She endured a nine-deuce game to hold serve and even the set, then broke
in the next game before serving out the victory.
While Williams says the end of her remarkable career is in
sight, she’s enjoying her time and staying in the moment.
“I’m getting closer to the light. Lately, that’s been it, I
can’t wait to get to that light,” she said, adding the light represents
“freedom.”
“I love playing though, it’s amazing,” she added. “I can’t
do this forever, so sometimes you just want to try your best to enjoy the
moments and do the best that you can.”
In other opening-round action, Canada’s Leylah Fernandez
made her return to the court with a 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-3 win over Australian Storm
Sanders.
Fernandez was back in action for the first time since
suffering a stress fracture in her foot during a quarterfinal loss to Martina
Trevisan on May 31. The 13th-ranked Fernandez will next play Brazil’s Beatriz
Maia on Wednesday.
Also, Sloane Stephens defeated Sofia Kenan in three sets,
6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5, in a three-hour match that was interrupted twice by rain. -AP