Serena Williams won her first match in 430 days on Monday beating Spain’s Nuria Párrizas Díaz 6-3, 6-4 while another former number one, Romania’s Simona Halep, easily got rid of Croatia’s Donna Vekic by 6- 0 and 6. -2.

Párrizas Díaz and Vekic had both been selected by the Canadian tournament after their elimination in the qualifying rounds on Sunday. The two tennis players obtained two places of lucky losers due to the packages of the American Shelby Rogers and the Belarusian Victoria Azarenka.

It was the first time in his career for Párrizas Díaz, 31, to face Williams, winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles and who played the entire match with a cast that covered much of his cheek to help to fight against sinusitis. .

Williams, a three-time winner of the Canadian tournament in which she appeared 10 times, counted in her favor at all times with the public on center court at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto focused on the 40-year-old tennis player who has just returned to the competition after more than 12 months of absence.

Párrizas Díaz, ranked number 59 in the WTA compared to the 407 currently occupied by Williams, struggled to respond to the powerful but erratic serve from the American. But the Spaniard forced Williams to win every point in a game that lasted almost two hours.

In the eighth game of the second set, with Williams serving, Párrizas Díaz forced nine deuces and had four chances to win the match. But Williams resisted.

After her win, Williams said she just wanted to play her best and was very happy to be playing in Toronto.

“I didn’t know if I could play here again,” said Williams, who won her last singles match at Roland Garros in 2021.

With the defeat of Párrizas Díaz, four Spaniards remain in the tournament: Paula Badosa, Garbiñe Muguruza, Sara Sorribes Tormo and Cristina Bucsa.

Before the match between Williams and Párrizas Díaz, Simona Halep easily beat Croatian Donna Vekic in just 61 minutes, 6-0, 6-2.

Halep only committed eight unforced errors, half of which were double faults.

Halep, who won the Canadian tournament in 201 and 2018, will face the winner of the match between Spain’s Cristina Bucsa and China’s Shuai Zhang in the next round.

In other matches on a day marked by rain interruptions, Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia beat Italy’s Martina Trevisan 6-2, 2-6, 6-2, and Kazakh’s Elena Rybakina defeated Czech Marie Bouzková by 7-5, 6-7(3) and 6-1.

Czech Karolina Plisková also beat compatriot Barbora Krejciková 6-3, 6-4 while Latvian Jelena Ostapenko beat Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina 6-4, 6-2.

The duel between the French Alizé Cornet and Caroline Garcia was resolved in favor of the first by 3-6, 6-3 and 6-3. American Asia Muhammad defeated her compatriot Madison Keys 7-6(5) and 6-4.

Another duel between the Americans, that of Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin, went first in three sets 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5.

Meanwhile, American Alison Riske-Amritraj beat Czech Petra Kvitová 6-2, 4-6 and 6-3, Kazakh Yulia Putintseva beat Canadian Katherine Sebov 3-6, 6-2 and 7-5 , and her compatriot Leyla Annie Fernandez beat Australian Storm Sanders 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3.

On Tuesday, Sorribes Tormo will face American Claire Liu and Bucsa will face Shuai Zhang.