Serena soars to Madrid romp

Serena Williams fired an ominous warning with a resounding opening-round win at the 2012 Mutua Madrid Open.

The 13-time Grand Slam champion improved to 8-0 on clay this year when demolishing Elena Vesnina 6-3 6-1 in the Spanish capital. The American fired 14 aces and broke Vesnina in four of her eight service games to complete an emphatic victory. The manner of the win was all the more remarkable given that number nine seed Williams openly hates morning matches. "I always hate the 11 o'clock matches, but it's okay," Williams said. "I tend to do really well when I play early, so I don't know why I don't like them. "I wasn't thrilled with my performance, but I'm feeling good. I'd be thrilled if I got into the finals or something. This was just the first round." Former world number one Williams captured her 40th WTA Tour title in Charleston recently but refused to set herself any targets in the immediate future. "I'm a competitor and want to do the best I can do every time I step out there," she said. "I just go out there and try to do the right things, and if I keep doing that, the results will come."