Venus Williams claimed her first victory of 2006 with a solid 6-3 6-3 win over India's Sania Mirza at the Champions Challenge in Hong Kong. Mirza broke to go 3-2 up in the opener but, after receiving lengthy treatment on her thigh, Williams hit back.
The Wimbledon champion broke twice to serve out the first set before both players swapped serves in the second.
Mistakes from Mirza handed Williams three match points at 5-3 and she duly converted to seal the victory.
The 25-year-old had not played since pulling out of the China Open in September because of a knee injury.
Belgian second seed Kim Clijsters survived a scare againsty China's Zheng Jie, China, dropping the first set before coming back to win 3-6 6-2 6-2.
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
