|
 Venus returned to the event for the first time since 2001, having
boycotted it after being booed and heckled by fans during her
previous trip, but made a quick exit after a 6-4 6-3 defeat to
Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara in the second round.
The 15-year-old incident had occurred when Venus withdrew from a
semi-final match with Serena, drawing ire from the crowd aimed at
the Williams family.
This time, though, Venus was greeted warmly by the crowd before her
match and throughout it, a consolation for her poor performance.
"It was enough of a fairytale to come here and play," Venus told
reporters. "A win would have been nice, but that means I have to
come back, play next year."
Serena had no such issues with German opponent Laura Siegemund in a
6-2 6-1 romp.
The world number one had already reconciled with the event last year
when she ended her own boycott and she appeared freed up as she
needed a little over an hour to advance.
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"My intensity was key. I knew if I didn’t start fast it was going to
be a long match," Serena said.
In earlier action, third seeded Agnieszka Radwanska prevailed in a
three-set thriller against Dominika Cibulkova 6-3 3-6 7-5. She
rallied from an early 4-1 deficit to push through.
Defending champion Simona Halep made easy work of Vania King 6-1
6-1.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the No. 8 seed from the
Czech Republic, needed a third-set tiebreaker in a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (5)
victory over Danka Kovinic of Montenegro.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; editing by Amlan
Chakraborty)
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