Venus Williams eliminated 8th seeded Andrea Petkovic in the first round of the 2011 Wimbledon draw on Monday as the American returned to the WTA Tour.
Venus Williams, a multiple Wimbledon titlist, is active again on tour after going through a long hiatus following a hip injury earlier this year. Williams faced Germany's Andrea Petkovic in the first round of the WTA Eastbourne event on Monday and the American made a winning return to the tour with a tough victory, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.
In a match that took over 2.5 hours to complete, Williams had four aces, three double faults, and she saw her serve get broken just three times.
While the match was challenging, Petkovic is an improved player on tour and Williams having enough to beat the German right out of the gates post-injury is a promising sign heading into Wimbledon.
The draw doesn't get much easier for Williams in the next round however as the American will face the winner between Julia Goerges and Ana Ivanovic.
