CHARLESTON, S.C., April 12 (UPI) -- Former champion Venus Williams was an easy second-round winner Wednesday at the Family Circle Cup Tennis Tournament at Charleston, S.C.
She topped overmatched Russian Vasilisa Bardina, 6-2, 6-1, in just 49 minutes to advance to the third round.
The former world No. 1 and five-time Grand Slam champion, who won this event in 2004, will face Taipei's Yung-Jan Chan in the third round.
Chan was leading Williams' younger sister, Serena, in the first set on Tuesday when the Australian Open champion retired with a groin injury, thus ending her 13-match winning streak.
Second-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia trounced Russian qualifier Anastassia Rodionova, 6-1, 6-1; 16th-seeded Italian Mara Santangelo drubbed American wild card Ashley Harkleroad, 6-2, 6-0; No. 4 seed Dinara Safina of Russia topped Eleni Daniilidou of Greece, 6-3, 6-4; and Jie Zheng of China knocked out fifth-seeded Israeli Shahar Peer, 6-2, 6-3.
