LONDON -- Venus Williams won her first tennis match since being sued by the estate of a Florida man who died after a car crash police say she caused.

The 10th-seeded Williams beat Elise Mertens 7-6 (7), 6-4 Monday in the first round at Wimbledon, a tournament the American has won five times.

Last week, Williams was sued by the estate of a Florida man who died 13 days after a car crash. The lawsuit came one day after Palm Beach Gardens police released a report saying Williams caused the June 9 crash.

On No. 1 Court, Williams had to wait through a 33-minute rain delay to win her opening match. She had two match points before the rain came. Play was stopped with Williams leading 5-3 and at 40-40 in the second set.

When play resumed, Mertens held serve to make it 5-4, but Williams served out the match.

Victoria Azarenka made a successful return to Wimbledon, winning her opening match over CiCi Bellis 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

The unseeded Belarussian returned to tennis only last month after giving birth to her first child in December. It was her third match since her return, and her first at a Grand Slam tournament in more than a year.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova won her opening match, beating Johanna Larsson of Sweden 6-3, 6-4.

The left-handed Czech, who was injured in a knife attack at her home in December, won the grass-court tournament in Birmingham just over a week ago. She then pulled out of the tournament in Eastbourne with an abdominal injury.

Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams reached the semifinals at the All England Club last year. Glyn Kirk/Getty Images

Second-seeded Simona Halep and No. 17 Madison Keys also won Monday. Halep, who lost in this year's French Open final, beat Marina Erakovic of New Zealand 6-4, 6-1. Keys defeated Nao Hibino of Japan 6-4, 6-2.

Keys, who is right-handed, was playing for the first time since having a second surgery on her left wrist.

"It's obviously not perfect," Keys said. "I haven't been able to do the repetitions that ideally I would have wanted to do, but it feels fine. Doesn't hurt anymore. That's really all I care about."

Keys reached the quarterfinals at the All England Club in 2015 and the fourth round last year.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.