Venus stops the clock, Gavrilova sets Serena clash at 2021 Yarra Valley Classic

Twenty-seven years after becoming a pro, Venus Williams is still a dangerous opponent for many rivals on the Tour, proving that at Yatta Valley Classic on Sunday.

The veteran defeated Arantxa Rus 6-1, 6-3 in 65 minutes for a perfect start of the season. Venus lost only six points behind the first serve and defended all seven break chances to mount the pressure on the other side of the net. Rus was far from those numbers, dropping almost half of the points behind the initial shot and suffering four breaks to propel Williams into the second round.

Venus saved those seven break chances in three different games of the opening set and grabbed breaks in games two and four for a comfortable lead. Rus barely won a point on the return in set number two and gave serve away twice to push Venus over the top.

Tsvetlana Pironkova was even faster, toppling Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 6-1 in 62 minutes. The Bulgarian fired five aces and lost serve once, playing equally good on the return to grab five breaks and control the scoreboard from start to finish.