Venus debuts new outfit, but displays the same dominating game

Associated Press

KEY BISCAYNE, FLA.

Venus Williams said she looked “solid” in her opening match at the Sony Ericsson Open, a rather drab adjective considering she played in a red corset.

It was more like an eye-popping victory. Williams began a bid for a fourth Key Biscayne title and her first since 2001 by beating Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-3 Thursday night.

As is customary for the Williams sisters at the start of a tournament, Venus unveiled a new outfit — a corset with spaghetti straps and a flounce. The first eight questions at her postmatch news conference addressed the 1890s-style dress.

“Like ‘Can-Can,’” she said. “The motif is really about sporty sexy, and kind of that whole attitude of bringing that to my game. I usually don’t wear red. This is kind of new for me.”

The dress will be back in the third round, when the No. 3-seeded Williams plays unseeded Roberta Vinci, who beat No. 30 Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4, 7-6 (5). With sister Serena sidelined by a knee injury, Venus may be the woman to beat in a tournament she considers her hometown event.

“I haven’t had a win here in awhile, and I’ll try to make that happen this year,” Venus said.

Hampered by injuries in 2009, she wore a strap around her right thigh against Cirstea but moved well.

“I looked solid out there, so presumably I was OK,” Williams said.

Both sets followed similar patterns, with Williams losing serve early and finishing strong. She swept the final four games of the first set and the last three games of the match.

“I haven’t played in a few weeks,” she said. “It just took a few games to … kind of really getting energy flowing.”