Venus wins Family Circle Cup opener

Venus Williams eased into the second round of the WTA's Family Circle Cup in Charleston Tuesday after defeating the Czech Republic's Iveta Benesova in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.

The American, a former winner of the tournament who is desperate for ranking points to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team, is currently 87th in the world and made hard work of dispatching Benesova in little under an hour and a half.

But the victory will come as a relief for Venus Williams, who has endured a tough 12 months after being diagnosed with Sjogren syndrome, an auto-immune disorder.

The diagnosis explains why Williams finished 2011 outside the world top 100, the first time that has happened in 15 years.

She now plays the seventh-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic in the second round.

Serena Williams, like Venus a previous winner of the tournament, takes on Russian Elena Vesnina in her second round tie late on Tuesday.