MASON, Ohio -- Serena Williams pumped her fist after each important point and screamed as she smacked another emphatic shot. The defending Cincinnati champion wasn't going to ease into the tournament.
Williams put a lot of emotion into her opening match at the Western & Southern Open on Wednesday afternoon, a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Tsvetana Pironkova.
Williams won the Cincinnati tournament for the first time last year, getting one of the few titles that had eluded her. This year, she's using it as a final tuneup for the U.S. Open, where she'll try to complete a Grand Slam sweep.
She beat Pironkova in an hour and 29 minutes, fighting off three break points in the first set. She broke her to win that set, then broke her again for a 5-3 lead in the second.
The start of the day's matches was delayed 35 minutes because of rain, which fell again shortly after Williams completed her win.
Her sister, Venus, dropped out of the tournament Tuesday night with an illness. Maria Sharapova also dropped out with a lingering injury to her right leg.
On the men's side, fourth-seeded Stan Wawrinka rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3 win over Borna Coric. The French Open champion didn't take control until he broke Coric's serve in the sixth game of the third set and then held for a 5-2 lead. He will meet Ivo Karlovic in the third round.
Twelfth-seeded Richard Gasquet survived a first-set tiebreaker and advanced with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win over qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis. Gasquet will face seventh-seeded Marin Cilic in the third round.
AP freelance writer Mark Schmetzer contributed to this report.
