Paris: Serena Williams overpowered Vitalia Diatchenko to register a 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory in the first round of French Open here on Monday.
After losing the first set everything worked out well for Williams and she came out furiously to dominate Diatchenko and registered thumping victories in the next two sets which included a bagel in the final set.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who struggled with a knee injury for much of the season, was playing her second match on the red clay after withdrawing from the second round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.
If Williams manages to clinch her 24th Grand Slam title, she will equal Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles.
Williams will now face either Japan's Kurumi Nara or Dalila Jakupovic to secure her place in the last 32.