NEW YORK | Venus Williams landed awkwardly on her recently injured leg after hitting a swinging volley and grimaced. It was about the only glitch during her return to tennis. Playing for the first time in two months after spraining her left kneecap, seven-time Grand Slam champion Williams beat Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-4, 6-1 Monday night to reach the U.S. Open’s second round. The No. 3-seeded Williams hit 10 aces, reaching 126 mph (203 kph), and earned her 200th career victory in a major tournament. Two of her seven major titles came at the U.S. Open, in 2000 and 2001. She hadn’t competed since being upset in the Wimbledon quarterfinals June 29 by then-No. 82 Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria. Pironkova won Monday, too, and Williams could face her in the third round.
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