Serena Williams of the U.S. returns the ball during her women's singles match against Silvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing September 29, 2014. REUTERS/Petar Kujundzic
BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. Open champions Marin Cilic and Serena Williams kicked off their China Open campaigns with straight sets victories against battling underdogs on Monday, but Rafa Nadal suffered defeat in a rare doubles outing on his return from injury.
Williams, who won her 18th grand slam singles title in New York earlier this month, started sluggishly and found herself 5-0 and 40-15 down to Spanish qualifier Silvia Soler Espinosa.
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