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By Chris Oddo | Wednesday April 6, 2016

 
Venus Williams Charleston

Venus Williams won her first match since February, taking down Alison Riske in Charleston in straight sets.

Photo Source: AP

Venus Williams went 0 for 2 at Indian Wells and Miami, but the 35-year-old 2004 Charleston champion got back to winning ways on the green clay at the Volvo Car Open on Wednesday. Williams took down fellow American Alison Riske 6-4, 6-2, to set up a third-round encounter with Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.

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“Since I had an early dismissal in Miami, I had a chance to get on the clay, so that was probably helpful,” third-seeded Williams told reporters after her 20th career win at Charleston.

Williams broke serve five times on nine opportunities in her first career meeting with Riske.

Second-seeded Belinda Bencic was the highest seed to fall on a busy day in Charleston. She suffered from back issues and struggled to keep up with the fine form of Russia’s Elina Vesnina.

The 2011 Charleston runner-up saved the only two break points she faced and preyed upon Bencic’s second-serve, winning 13 of 18 such offerings in the 6-1, 6-1 victory. Vesnina will move on to face Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino in the round of 16. The Spaniard advanced when Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard retired after dropping the first game of the third set. Bouchard told reporters afterwards that she was struggling with an abdominal issue that bothered her serve.


“I wanted to give it another game in the third set, and when I realized I couldn't serve faster than I could serve lefty, then I thought I should probably stop playing,” Bouchard said.

The Canadian, who drops to 16-8 on the season with the loss, says the injury happened while serving during her first-round victory over Alexandra Dulgheru.

“I actually hurt it in my first round yesterday on a specific serve,” she said. “I remember feeling it. But it wasn't too bad during the match yesterday. And then after I cooled down and everything from my match yesterday, last night, you know, I really realized I did something to it.”

8th-seeded Madison Keys lost a tough tussle with Germany’s Laura Siegemund, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4. The victory, which lasted two hours and 49 minutes, is the German’s third Top-30 victory of the season.

4th-seeded Lucie Safarova and 6th-seeded Andrea Petkovic also fell on Wednesday. Safarova, still in search of her first win of the season, fell to American wild card Louisa Chirico, 6-3, 6-3, while Petkovic dropped her night session tilt with Monica Puig, 7-5, 6-2.

5th-seeded Sara Errani, 7th-seeded Sloane Stephens, 12th-seeded Daria Gavrilova and 14th-seeded Daria Kasatkina also advanced.

15th-seeded Sabine Lisicki, the 2009 Charleston champion, fell to Yulia Putinsteva in three sets.

 

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