Venus Williams, who returned to tennis last month after being away from the sport for more than a year, lost to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday in the first round of the Cincinnati Open.

“The colorful beads and butterfly hair clips that marked the teenage style of Venus Williams were gone. From the moment she strode onto Center Court today, the streamlined 20-year-old with the Paul Bunyan backswing had the look of a serious young woman. A scowl was as good as any accessory.

The semifinals of the Canadian Open are happening on Wednesday, but when a Williams sister is on the grounds of any tennis event in the world with a racket in her hand, that tends to suck up plenty of the oxygen in the sport.