Serena Williams Wins Cincinnati Opener Over Darla Gavrilova

Serena Williams bounced back from the most lopsided loss of her career, cruising past Darla Gavrilova 6-1, 6-2 at the Western & Southern Open on Monday.

MASON, Ohio — Serena Williams bounced back from the most lopsided loss of her career, cruising past Darla Gavrilova 6-1, 6-2 at the Western & Southern Open on Monday.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam winner and a former champion in Cincinnati, needed just 65 minutes to dispatch Gavrilova. She'll face eighth-seeded Petra Kvitova in Tuesday's second round.

Williams lost to Johanna Konta 6-1, 6-0 in San Jose, California, before withdrawing from last week's Rogers Cup in Montreal.

Earlier Monday, Andy Murray lost to Lucas Pouille 6-1, 1-6, 6-4, clearing another obstacle for Roger Federer in this U.S. Open tuneup.