Paris — Even the storm clouds cleared for Serena Williams on Tuesday, as the new mother’s baby steps back to Grand Slam tennis became a stride into the second round of the French Open. Kristýna Plíšková, who shared the Wimbledon winners’ stage with Williams in 2010 — the Czech was junior champion as Williams won the real thing that year — played her part across the net on centre court, but there was only one star. Dressed in a skin-tight, all-in-one black catsuit, broken up by a vivid scarlet belt, Williams captivated the French crowd from the start of the contest to its 7-6(4) 6-4 conclusion. "Two years has been a really long time," she told the crowd in French, referring to her last match on clay. "I am just so happy to have won a match here, thank you all." The last time she had appeared in a Grand Slam tournament was at the Australian Open in 2017, when she won it while pregnant with daughter Alexis Olympia. This time there was a little rust to shake off — she gave birth in Sept...
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