World number two Serena Williams shook out any cobwebs from four months away from tennis with a 6-3 6-4 victory over France’s Pauline Parmentier in the first round of the Auckland Classic on Tuesday. The 35-year-old had not played a competitive match since she lost to Karolina Pliskova in the semi-finals of the U.S. Open last September, withdrawing from all tennis to deal with a persistent shoulder injury.