Serena Williams opens clay season with routine win in Rome

ROME — Serena Williams looked sharper than her previous match in March as she opened her clay-court season at the Italian Open with a routine 6-4, 6-2 win over Swedish qualifier Rebecca Peterson on Monday.

In March at the Miami Open, Williams needed three sets to beat Peterson.

"It's been a while. I haven't played a ton of matches this year," Williams said. "Not my choice, just by force. I really, really actually desperately wanted to be on the tour and to be playing. It felt good to finally be back out. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep it up."