Tennis: Williams sisters cruise at Charleston

CHARLESTON, South Carolina: Serena and Venus Williams made a successful transition to clay on Tuesday, easing through their opening matches with straight-set victories at the WTA Tour's Charleston tournament.

Fifth seed Serena, the 2008 Charleston champion, hammered 11 aces in overpowering last year's runner-up Elena Vesnina, 6-3, 6-4, in a second-round match at the $740,000 event.

World No. 87 Venus, who returned to the tour last month in Miami after being out seven months due to illness, needed just 79 minutes to dispatch qualifier Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-3, in the first round.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus is fresh off an impressive comeback showing in Miami, where she won her first four matches of her return.

The Williams sisters did not play in last month's prestigious Indian Wells tournament because of a boycott that began in 2001 when fans booed them.

Venus received a wild card invitation into the draw of Charleston, which she won in 2004. She booked a clash with seventh-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic, who enjoyed a first-round bye.

Venus will be put to the test on Wednesday as Jankovic has won their last four matches on clay and holds a 6-5 lead in career contests. Jankovic routed Venus 6-0, 6-1, in their most recent meeting, two years ago in Rome on clay.

Venus finished out of the top 100 in the world last year for the first time in 15 years after a season plagued by injury and illness.

She withdrew from the second round of the US Open, where she revealed she had been diagnosed with the auto-immune disorder Sjogren syndrome, and did not play again until making it to the quarter-finals at Miami.

Serena, who was given a bye through the first round here, saved six of seven break points chances and won 73 percent of her first-serve points in the 85-minute match.

The Russian Vesnina was runner-up to Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki in Charleston last year.

Serena will play either 17th seed Marina Erakovic of New Zealand or unseeded Anna Tatishvili in the third round.

In other matches Tuesday, a pair of Aussies won their second-round contests in straight sets.

Second seeded Samantha Stosur beat American Jamie Hampton, 6-0, 7-5 and fellow Australian Anastasia Rodionova surprised 10th seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues 7-5, 6-3.

Stosur compiled a 5-2 lead in the second set then had to hold on for the victory. (AFP)