Venus made to sweat by veteran Israeli

By Julien Pretot

PARIS (Reuters) - Venus Williams dropped a set but recovered to reach the second round of the French Open with a 6-3 4-6 6-2 victory over Israel's Tzipora Obziler on Monday.

Obziler, at 35 the oldest woman in the tournament, fought with an energy belying her years against the eighth-seeded American.

"I knew she was going to bring a lot of balls back and try to play aggressive when she could," Williams, who has won six grand slam titles, told a news conference.

However, she said the outcome of the first-round match, which last two hours and three minutes, was never in doubt.

"The only pressure I have is the pressure I put on myself, so I try not to put too much," Williams, who next meets Tunisian qualifier Selima Sfar, said.

Williams started confidently, breaking Obziler's service in the fifth and ninth games to take the first set in 41 minutes.

She shrugged off four break points before racing to a 4-1 lead in the second set but then found herself facing break points at 4-4.

Williams staved off the first with a powerful passing shot, benefited from an unforced error on the second but hit a forehand long on the third and Obziler followed up on her service game to level the match and force a decider.

Obziler stole Williams's serve but lost her stride as the American hit longer balls to push her far from the baseline. Williams converted her second match point with a crosscourt smash.

(Editing by Derek Parr)