MASON, Ohio - Serena Williams pumped her fist after each important point and screamed as she smacked another emphatic shot. The defending Cincinnati champion wasn't going to ease into the tournament.
Williams put a lot of emotion into her opening match at the Western & Southern Open on Wednesday afternoon, a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Tsvetana Pironkova.
On the men's side, Novak Djokovic also won in straight sets, but spent more time on the court. He beat Benoit Paire 7-6, 5-2 in an hour and 40 minutes. The first set alone took 64 minutes.
Djokovic needs a win at Cincinnati to become the first player with titles at all nine ATP Masters events.
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AP freelance writer Mark Schmetzer contributed to this report.
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