STANFORD, Calif.(AP) Venus Williams looked far from sharp at times as she missed shots long and sent others into the net.
The second-seeded Williams pulled out enough of her top shots to beat Stephanie Dubois of Canada 6-2, 6-3 in the first round of the Bank of the West Classic on Tuesday night.
Williams' sister, Serena, was set to take the court next at Stanford in the $700,000 event. They are also playing doubles together.
Earlier Tuesday, Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia outlasted defending champion Aleksandra Wozniak 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in 2 hours, 33 minutes.
Wozniak, who recently took four weeks off, became the first Canadian in 20 years to capture a Tour title when she won the tournament last year.