Serena sails into last eight

Williams: first singles in India

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Serena Williams moved into the last eight of the Bangalore Open with a straight sets victory over Israeli Tzipora Obziler despite an error-strewn display.

Returning after a month-long break following dental surgery, the world number 11 won 7-5 6-0 to set up a quarter-final meeting with Russian Anastasia Rodionova.

The former world number one, who was given a first round bye, had trouble with her service games early on against the world number 117.

Obziler broke her twice but Williams broke back immediately both times and after closing out the first set and adjusting the strings on her racket, the American swept through the second set.

"I started making so many errors and the balls kept flying about there," said Williams after her first singles appearance in India.

"She definitely did not give a lot of pace. She would hit a hard ball and the next point hit a soft ball. I didn't get a rhythm. But once I got a tighter racket I was definitely hitting better."

Shocks

Rodionova is next up for the eight-time Grand Slam champion after the Russian shocked sixth-seeded Austrian Sybille Bammer 7-6 6-2 in the second round.

In the day's other upset, Uzbek Akgul Amanmuradova, who knocked out defending champion Yaroslava Shvedova in the first round, served 16 aces on her way to beating fifth-seeded Hungarian Agnes Szavay 4-6 7-6 6-4 in a two-and-a-half-hour contest.

Amanmuradova will meet Swiss veteran Patty Schnyder in the quarter-finals.