China Open: Venus Williams brushes aside Heather Watson in straight sets
Sunday 28 September 2014 14:29, UK
Venus Williams took just an hour and five minutes to see off Heather Watson in the first round of the China Open in Beijing.
The veteran American, seeded 16th, won 6-3 6-1 against the British No 1 who has now lost five successive main-draw matches since getting through two rounds in Montreal in August.
In a tournament played at the tennis centre built for the 2008 Olympics, Watson struggled particularly on her second serve, which Williams found to her liking and dominated.
It was the first chance in her career that Watson had faced 34-year-old Williams, the five-time Wimbledon champion who has climbed to 18th in the world rankings this year.
Williams is aiming to win her second title of 2014, having triumphed in Dubai in February.
Other early winners on the opening day included Australian Samantha Stosur, who beat Italy's former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 6-4 6-2.
Schiavone's compatriot Roberta Vinci ground out a 6-2 2-6 6-1 victory over Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova, while 12th-seeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova edged out Spain's Garbine Muguruza, winning 6-7 (8/10) 6-4 6-4.
