Serena Williams kicked off her 2023 tennis season with a straight-sets victory at the ASB Classic in Auckland on Tuesday, overcoming Linda Fruhvirtova 6-3, 6-2..
The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who is targeting an eighth title at the Australian Open later this month, had not played a competitive match since September due to an ongoing hamstring issue..
Despite her recent absence from competition, Williams looked sharp and aggressive from the outset against the 17-year-old Fruhvirtova. The American broke her opponent’s serve in the fourth game of the opening set and never looked back, converting her third set point with a powerful forehand down the line..
Fruhvirtova showed flashes of her potential and briefly raised hopes of making a comeback when she broke Williams’ serve early in the second set. However, the experience and class of Williams proved too much for the Czech player. Williams broke back immediately and then won the next four games to seal the victory..
In her on-court interview after the match, Williams said she was happy with her performance, especially considering her time away from the game..
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