<p class="title">Two-time Indian Wells champion Victoria Azarenka shook off a slow start to beat Vera Lapko 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday and set up a second-round meeting with long-time rival Serena Williams.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Azarenka, a former world number one now ranked 48th in the world, said she started a little too passive in dropping the first two games against her fellow Belarusian but roared back to seal the win with ease.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She was looking forward to taking on 10th-seeded Williams, who like all the seeds in the combined WTA and ATP Masters event has a first-round bye.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The American has won 17 of their 21 prior encounters, but Azarenka won their most recent clash -- in the 2016 Indian Wells final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Of course it's going to be a very special match for us," she said of their first clash since both became mothers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We have such a big history, it's going to be really special. She motivates me, she inspires me, she pushes me to be better," Azarenka said of Williams.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The opening day of women's main draw play saw highly touted teenagers Bianca Andreescu and Amanda Ansimova reached the second round.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Canada's Andreescu, 18, rallied from a set down to beat Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-3.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"For me, the ending is the most important, so I'm really glad I pulled through," said Andreescu, who has won 22 matches this season including qualifying and main draw.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She has climbed steadily in the rankings, rising from 107th to start the year to 60th.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Mentally... I was like, I might as well go for my shots, and see where that leads me and that's what I did, and it worked," said Andreescu, who booked a second-round meeting with 32nd seed Dominika Cibulkova.</p>.<p class="bodytext">American Ansimova, 17, lined up a meeting with 16th-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Serbian Aleksandra Krunic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Third-seeded Petra Kvitova, who will face either Venus Williams or Andrea Petkovic in the second round, said she wasn't surprised to see teenagers making such a strong showing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Elsewhere, American Sofia Kenin didn't have to wait long to avenge her loss to Wang Yafan in last Saturday's Acapulco women's final -- ousting China's Wang 1-6, 7-5, 6-4. </p>
<p class="title">Two-time Indian Wells champion Victoria Azarenka shook off a slow start to beat Vera Lapko 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday and set up a second-round meeting with long-time rival Serena Williams.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Azarenka, a former world number one now ranked 48th in the world, said she started a little too passive in dropping the first two games against her fellow Belarusian but roared back to seal the win with ease.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She was looking forward to taking on 10th-seeded Williams, who like all the seeds in the combined WTA and ATP Masters event has a first-round bye.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The American has won 17 of their 21 prior encounters, but Azarenka won their most recent clash -- in the 2016 Indian Wells final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Of course it's going to be a very special match for us," she said of their first clash since both became mothers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We have such a big history, it's going to be really special. She motivates me, she inspires me, she pushes me to be better," Azarenka said of Williams.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The opening day of women's main draw play saw highly touted teenagers Bianca Andreescu and Amanda Ansimova reached the second round.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Canada's Andreescu, 18, rallied from a set down to beat Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-3.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"For me, the ending is the most important, so I'm really glad I pulled through," said Andreescu, who has won 22 matches this season including qualifying and main draw.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She has climbed steadily in the rankings, rising from 107th to start the year to 60th.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Mentally... I was like, I might as well go for my shots, and see where that leads me and that's what I did, and it worked," said Andreescu, who booked a second-round meeting with 32nd seed Dominika Cibulkova.</p>.<p class="bodytext">American Ansimova, 17, lined up a meeting with 16th-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Serbian Aleksandra Krunic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Third-seeded Petra Kvitova, who will face either Venus Williams or Andrea Petkovic in the second round, said she wasn't surprised to see teenagers making such a strong showing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Elsewhere, American Sofia Kenin didn't have to wait long to avenge her loss to Wang Yafan in last Saturday's Acapulco women's final -- ousting China's Wang 1-6, 7-5, 6-4. </p>