(Reuters) - Venus Williams held off young challenger Zarina Diyas 7-6 (6) 6-4 on Monday to reach the second round of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, where she will meet Ana Ivanovic.
Diyas, a rising 21-year-old from Kazakhstan, fell behind in both sets but refused to back down.
Veteran Williams managed to win the opening set tie-breaker 8-6 and hit 32 winners in the match, sending a brief reminder of her old form.
A seven-time Grand Slam champion, Williams has long fallen into the background behind younger sister Serena, who will be shooting for the Calendar Year Grand Slam and attempt to win her 22nd major title at the US Open in a couple of weeks.