STANFORD, Calif. — Angelique Kerber remembers fondly her time at Stanford last year, when she reached the final of the Bank of the West Classic.
She drew on that experience Tuesday night in beating Russia's Daria Gavrilova 6-1, 6-3 in the first round.
"I played a lot of good matches," Kerber said. "I actually like it a little bit faster."
Without world No. 1 Serena Williams, who withdrew because of an elbow injury, Kerber may get to create even more good memories.
Playing in her first match since Wimbledon, where she reached the Round of 32, the sixth-seeded and 14th-ranked Kerber had an easier time of it in her third meeting of the year with the 41st-ranked Gavrilova.