Triumphant Venus unfazed by slump

Williams battling back from injury and illness in effort to recapture former glory

Venus Williams, nagged by lower-back woes and with only one win since early April, ousted 12th seed Kirsten Flipkens on Monday to reach the second round of the US Open.

The 33-year-old American, the oldest player remaining in the women's field, dispatched the Wimbledon semifinalist 6-1, 6-2 in just 84 minutes, avenging a loss to the Belgian earlier this month in Toronto.