MIAMI - Three-times champion Venus Williams recovered from losing the first four games to beat Ukraine's Yuliana Fedak 7-5 6-2 in the Sony Ericsson Open first round today.
Williams, playing for the first time since winning in Memphis last month, produced 31 unforced errors in the first setbefore overwhelming her 88th-ranked opponent.
The American improved to 34-5 at the tournament which she won in 1998, 1999 and 2001.
Top seed Maria Sharapova will begin her campaign against 93rd-ranked Yung-Jan Chan of Taiwan who beat Nuria Llagostera Vives of Spain 6-2 6-3.
Sharapova, last year's runner-up at Crandon Park to fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, lost in the fourth round of the Pacific Life Open last week.
Chan's 84-minute victory came on a day when showers delayed play for more than four hours.
In other first-round matches, Dutch teenager Michaella Krajicek, beaten last week by Sharapova, advanced to face Czech eighth seed Nicole Vaidisova with a win over Georgian Anna Tatishvili 6-3 7-6.
Frenchwoman Emilie Loit put out last week's surprise package Sybille Bammer of Austria 2-6 6-3 6-1.
Austrian Bammer, the only mother in the world's top 50, beat former world number one Serena Williams in Hobart this year and lost in the Pacific Life semi-finals to Kuznetsova.
On the men's side, American Vince Spadea defeated compatriot Robby Ginepri 6-1 6-3 and Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean eliminated former French Open runner-up Martin Verkerk of the Netherlands 6-3 6-4.
American youngster Sam Querrey beat Russian Igor Andreev 5-7 6-2 6-4.
