HONG KONG — Venus Williams rallied to beat Yuliya Beygelzimer of Ukraine 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 Tuesday in the opening round of the Hong Kong Open.
The third-seeded Williams wore a bandage on her left thigh and looked hampered in her movements. However, she came from a break down three times in the final set to close out the win in 2 hours, 13 minutes.
After leveling for 4-4 in the decider, she held her serve for the first time in the set to take a 5-4 lead before breaking again to secure the win.
"I like easy matches but there are no givens out there, and she came out and played the match of her life and that is what I have to be ready for all of the time," Williams said.