“Just a little rusty,” Williams said of her performance. “I also put myself in a good position in the third set. I just had to shake off some trepidation, but that was to be expected. I wish I could have pulled this match out, for the crowd and for the tournament. But it doesn’t always work that way. All I can do is play a new tournament and try to play better.”
Seven-time grand slam winner Williams will also participate in the major tournaments of Toronto and Cincinnati in the coming weeks. At the end of August and in September, she will also make her appearance at the US Open, the last grand slam tournament of the year.
Williams last came into action at the end of August 2021. In Chicago she lost to Hsieh Su-wei from Taiwan.