RIO DE JANEIRO _ Top-seeded Serena Williams on Sunday took the first step toward defending her Olympic singles tennis title, taking 91 minutes to defeat Daria Gavrilova of Australia, 6-4, 6-2, on Centre Court at the Olympic Tennis Centre.
The heavy wind made conditions difficult and both players seemed tentative in the first set, but the match also featured some long, splendid rallies on the slow court.
Williams has won four Olympic tennis gold medals: in doubles in 2000, 2008 and 2012, and in singles four years ago at London.
She and her sister Venus _ who lost her first-round match Saturday _ were scheduled to team up in doubles later Sunday to face Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic.
