Serena sparkles on return KEY BISCAYNE, Florida — Andy Murray won his opening match at the Sony Ericsson Open by beating Alejandro Falla 6-2, 6-3 Friday. Murray, the 2009 champion, bounced back from a loss in his first match at Indian Wells two weeks ago. He also avoided a repeat of last year, when he lost his opening match at both Indian Wells and Key Biscayne. No. 13 Gilles Simon defeated Spanish qualifier Roberto Bautista-Agut 6-4, 6-2. In women's play, No. 9 Vera Zvonareva was upset by Spanish wild card Garbine Muguruza Blanco 6-4, 6-3. On Thursday, Serena Williams returned to tournament tennis after a two-month absence and beat Zhang Shuai of China 6-2, 6-3 at the Sony Ericsson Open Thursday. No. 2-seeded Maria Sharapova overcame 12 double faults and erased 10 break points to rally past Shahar Peer of Israel 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, while No. 4 Caroline Wozniacki beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, 6-0. Two-time champion Kim Clijsters defeated No. 14-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany 6-2, 7-5. No. 13 Jelena Jankovic lost her opening match to Mona Barthel of Germany 6-0, 6-3. US Open champion Sam Stosur beat Russian qualifier Valeria Savinykh 6-4, 6-0 and American qualifier Sloane Stephens ousted No. 30 Sara Errani 3-6, 6-2, 7-5. Williams' victory also marked her first match at Key Biscayne since she lost to Victoria Azarenka in the final three years ago. Health issues prevented Williams from playing at Key Biscayne in 2010 and 2011, and a left ankle injury has slowed her this year. Aside from two Fed Cup victories in February, she was playing for the first time since she lost in the fourth round at the Australian Open. Williams, who received a first-round bye because she's seeded 10th, looked fit but rusty and endured some sloppy moments. At one juncture she froze in a pose behind the baseline, hands on her hips as she fumed after making a flurry of mistakes. On the men's side, American Ryan Harrison, a wild card entry, rallied past Polito Starace of Italy 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-4 and will next face two-time champion Roger Federer. The match will be a gauge of progress for the 19-year-old Harrison, who is ranked 73rd but has yet to beat a top-10 player. Marcus Baghdatis of Cyprus advanced with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph over Argentina's Leonardo Mayer, advancing to a second-round match Saturday against Serbian World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
