Serena Williams earned her first victory in more than three months by beating 17-year-old qualifier, Lisa Pigato 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the Emilia-Romagna Open.
Williams, who accepted a wildcard invitation for the Parma tournament after losing her opening match at the Italian Open last week, dominated after dropping her serve in the opening game.
Williams hadn’t won since beating Simona Halep in the Australian Open quarter-finals in February.
She was eliminated from the year’s first grand slam tournament by Naomi Osaka in the semi-finals.
After some time off, Williams then lost in straight sets in Rome to Nadia Podoroska, a French Open semi-finalist last year.
Williams is preparing for Roland Garros, which starts in two weeks.
