The top seed survived an opening round scare, as she rallied from a set down to defeat compatriot Bernarda Pera and advance to the second round.

"It was a really calm atmosphere, really chill," Williams said after the match. "I can't say I disliked it. It was different; I've been through so many things in my career. I think I won today because I was calm for once, so that was really helpful."

The former World No.1 was playing her first match since participating in Fed Cup action in February, with the WTA Tour being shut down a few weeks later due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I haven't played, like a lot of players have managed to play little things against other players. I've only been training, so I was missing shots, but getting back into the swing of things at the same time."

Williams was facing an early exit as she was five points from defeat in the second set. However, she displayed her girt and renowned fighting spirit to eventually defeat Pera after two hours.

"I just knew I needed to do better," Williams stated. "I knew I could, and she hit so many winners, low to the court. I had to get used to her game a little bit, because she played really well."

Serena will face a very familiar foe in the next round, as she takes on her sister Venus Williams. The 7-time Grand Slam champion defeated former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka 6-3 6-2 in her first round match.

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