Former world number one Serena Williams won her first singles match on the WTA Tour for nearly 14 months as she returned after the birth of her child.

The 36 year old American, reached the second round at Indian Wells with a 7-5 6-3 victory over Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas.

It was her first singles match on the Tour since she won the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant.

Williams was given a standing ovation as she walked onto the court.

Her husband Alexis Ohanian was in the crowd as she set up a second-round match with 29th-seeded Dutch player Kiki Bertens

Williams missed this year’s Australian Open in January because she did not consider herself ready for the tournament.

She played an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi in late December and a doubles rubber for the US Fed Cup team against the Netherlands last month.

The best part of 10,000 people were in Stadium Court 1 to watch Williams’ return. One was her sister Venus, a potential third-round opponent.

Victoria Azarenka – another former world number one – also made a winning return in California, beating British number two Heather Watson 6-4 6-2.