Serena Williams returns in Stuttgart

STUTTGART, Germany – Serena Williams would happily forgo the US$100,000 (€70,000) prize money that goes to the winner of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart. She'd much rather drive off in the bright red convertible parked courtside. The tournament gives the winner a choice — either a cash prize or a low-slung Porsche 911 sports car. Williams, returning to action for the first time since beating Jelena Jankovic in the final of the US Open three weeks ago and regaining the world No. 1 ranking, knows which she'd prefer. "I've been trying for so long to win the Porsche, it's about time to take that 911 home," Williams said on Monday. Williams lost in the quarterfinals last year, to Svetlana Kuznetsova, and she could run into the Russian again at the same stage this week. Both Williams sisters are in Stuttgart. Venus is seeded sixth and is in the opposite half of the draw, meaning the sisters cannot meet until the final. The two are also playing doubles. They won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing. Serena will also be seeking to defend her No. 1 ranking. Jankovic, who won the China Open on Sunday, is only 21 points behind. "I'm close to gaining the No. 1 spot again, but I'm just trying to focus on playing one match at a time and working on my game," Jankovic said in China. "I would love to come back to No. 1 and end the year at No. 1." Serena has the same goal. "The US Open is not the end of the year," Williams told reporters. "I hope to do well in the last tournaments of the year." The nine-time Grand Slam champion had a first-round bye and will play Li Na in her opener. The Chinese player beat Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-2 in the tournament's first match on Monday. Third-ranked Dinara Safina and No. 4 Elena Dementieva also could end the year as No. 1. The pair and Jankovic also had first-round byes. Dementieva won the women's singles Olympic gold medal by beating Venus Williams in the final. "But there is still a lot to achieve ... I am still thinking of the No. 1," she said. Dementieva will play Sybille Bammer of Austria in the second round, while Jankovic meets Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine, who beat Eleni Daniilidou of Greece 7-6 (5), 6-1. Bammer beat German wild card Tatjana Malek 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 from a break down in the final set and saved two match points. Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova are the only top-10 players missing from the indoor tournament. Last year's winner, Justine Henin, has retired. – AP