Auckland: Serena Williams found her power game after a sluggish start as she overcame qualifier Camila Giorgi to open her 2020 season with a straight-sets victory at the Auckland WTA Classic on Tuesday.

With an eye on the Australian Open later in the month, Williams, 38, worked her way into a blistering performance that proved too much for the 1.7 metre (5ft 6in) Italian. She described her first match since losing the US Open final in September as "solid" rather than spectacular.