NEW YORK — Venus Williams landed awkwardly on her recently injured leg after hitting a swinging volley and grimaced. It was about the only glitch during her return to tennis.
Playing for the first time in two months after spraining her left kneecap, seven-time Grand Slam champion Williams beat Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-4, 6-1 on Monday night to reach the U.S. Open’s second round.
“It was doing pretty good, till I landed on that leg on the swing volley. . . . I was pretty happy to get through after not playing in forever,” said Williams, whose younger sister Serena isn’t playing in the U.S. Open after surgery for deep cuts on her right foot.
“It’s not the same without two Williamses,” the No. 3-seeded Venus added during an on-court interview. “I have big shoes to fill with just one Williams here.”
She became the fifth woman with 200 Grand Slam victories.
Two of the American’s Grand Slam titles came at Flushing Meadows, in 2000 and 2001, and other past U.S. Open champions Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters also won on Day 1.
Federer hit a back-to-the-net, between-the-legs winner and smacked 18 aces while eliminating Argentina’s Brian Dabul 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in the night’s last match. But 32nd-seeded Lleyton Hewitt, who won the tournament in 2001, hit 12 double-faults and was upset by No. 109 Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1.
Roddick turned 28 on Monday. After beating Stephane Robert of France 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, the American was asked what significance he attributes to his age.
“Obviously, I know I’m probably closer to the finish than I am to the start,” he said. “But . . . it’s a number. I’m barely older than I was yesterday.”
At a glance
Highlights from Monday’s opening day:
Men’s highlights: No. 2 Roger Federer, No. 5 Robin Soderling and No. 9 Andy Roddick advanced.
Women’s highlights: No. 2 Kim Clijsters, No. 3 Venus Williams, No. 5 Sam Stosur and No. 7 Francesca Schiavone advanced.
Today’s TV: Tennis Channel, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (live), 9-10 p.m. (highlights); ESPN2, 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. (live), 5-9 p.m. (live).
