Serena Williams, playing her first WTA Tour match on US soil since the 2009 US Open, made her return a victorious one with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Australian Anastasia Rodionova. The hardcourt tournament in Stanford is her third event since she won Wimbledon in 2010 and she's hoping it's a stepping stone to good things at the last Grand Slam of the season, the US Open in New York starting August 29. Williams, now ranked 169th, encountered little resistance from 105th-ranked Rodionova, who has lost five straight matches. In other first-round matches, Russian Maria Kirilenko beat sixth-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany 6-2, 6-3. Kirilenko, who reached the quarterfinals here last year, next faces Serena. Japan's Ayumi Morita ousted seventh-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 6-3, 7-5. Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova beat Japanese qualifier Rina Fujiwara 6-0, 6-2. Germany's Sabine Lisicki beat Romania's Simona Halep, 6-1, 6-2. Petrova moves up Having fought off vertigo and a six-week layoff, Nadia Petrova hopes to find her top form in time to climb back into the WTA's top 15 by the end of the season. The former World No. 3 from Russia took her first steps toward the US Open Tuesday with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over US qualifier Alexandra Mueller to reach the second round of a $220,000 WTA hardcourt event in College Park, Maryland. China's Zhang Shuai fought off fatigue to upset Australian fourth seed Jelena Dokic 6-3, 6-4. Israeli top seed Shahar Peer, a first-round loser in her past four events, snapped the streak by ousting Japanese qualifier Ryoko Fuda 6-4, 6-2 in 85 minutes, fighting off nine of 10 break points. Struggles continued for China's 28-year-old Zheng Jie, who lost her opener 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to the oldest player in the draw, 37-year-old American Jill Craybas.
