KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — Top-seeded Venus Williams had a a 6-3, 6-2 win over Lee Pei-chi in her opening match at the Taiwan Open on Wednesday.
Williams broke the Taiwanese wildcard entry's serve three times in the match that lasted just 57 minutes. The seven-time major winner, a surprise first-round loser at the Australian Open last month, next faces Urszula Radwanska of Poland.
In second-round matches, Elizaveta Kulichkova of Russia defeated fourth-seeded Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan 7-5, 0-6, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals. Third-seeded Yulia Putintseva advanced with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 win over Japanese qualifier Miyu Kato.