MADRID (AP) ― Top-ranked Serena Williams won her opening match on the red clay of the Madrid Open on Sunday.

She and other stars are glad the tournament returned to the traditional surface after its trial with blue “Smurf” clay flopped last year.

After dispatching Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 7-6 (5), 6-1, the defending champion said she liked the new courts at the Caja Magica.

“I think these clay courts are really good,” she said. “I think they’re a little bit faster than the ones I was practicing on in Paris. For me, that’s always a good sign.”

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were even more enthusiastic about the removal of the blue clay, which both players had heavily criticized for being slippery after early exits last year.

“I think that obviously the court last year was not up to the level that we needed,” Nadal said. “It was not prepared to be a competitive court.

“But the courts are impressive this year. In Madrid, we have the problem of the dry climate, so it’s very difficult to have the clay that settles down properly, a clay that’s the same as in other places. I think this year we have managed to have good clay here.”

Djokovic called the traditional red clay “great,” adding that everything he had heard from other competitors was “positive.”