Wimbledon (England): Venus Williams accumulated 10 aces Tuesday by smacking serves at up to 114 mph not quite like the old days, but not too shabby, either.
She drove forehands to corners. She made her way to the net for crisp volleys. And when it was all over, the 41-year-old American celebrated her first Wimbledon match win since 2018 by raising her arms and yelling Come on! before reprising her familiar smile-and-twirl wave at No. 3 Court.
A five-time singles champion at the All England Club who is making her 23rd appearance there, Williams began her record-extending 90th Grand Slam tournament with her 90th career victory at Wimbledon, beating Mihaela Buzarnescu of Romania 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Williams is a former No. 1-ranked player who came into this week ranked 111th and having lost in the first or second round at the past eight majors.
"You can't win them all. Life is about how you handle challenges. Each point is a challenge on the court. No one gives you anything, said Williams, who was diagnosed a decade ago with Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain. I like to think I handle my challenges well.
The schedule on Day 2 of the tournament, like on Day 1, was jumbled by showers. At least 18 matches were postponed until Wednesday and a dozen were suspended in progress shortly after Williams finished off a victory that lasted more than 2 1/2 hours.
Her sister Serena, a seven-time Wimbledon champ, and eight-time winner Roger Federer were assured of playing later Tuesday, because their matches were on Centre Court, which has a retractable roof.
Women's winners included 2018 champion Angelique Kerber, No. 1 seed Ash Barty, No. 8 Karolina Pliskova, No. 15 Maria Sakkari, two-time Slam finalist Vera Zvonareva, 2020 French Open semifinalist Nadia Podoroska and Americans Shelby Rogers, Madison Brengle and qualifier Claire Liu. Another U.S. woman, No. 28 seed Alison Riske, was beaten 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 by Tereza Martincova of the Czech Republic.
In men's action, 20-year-old American Sebastian Korda whose father, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open and whose sisters, No. 1-ranked Nelly and Jessica, are on the LPGA Tour made a successful Wimbledon debut, eliminating No. 15 Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5). No. 4 Alexander Zverev, No. 9 Diego Schwartzman and No. 26 Fabio Fognini also advanced.
Buzarnescu is a 33-year-old left-hander who has dealt with a series of injuries and has gone from the top 20 to outside the top 150.