At which 1997 tournament did Serena Williams win her first WTA main-draw match?

Serena Williams won her first WTA main-draw match at the 1997 Ameritech Cup in Chicago.

The breakthrough came in November 1997, two years after Williams’s professional debut and after she had not played a tournament during 1996. Entering the Ameritech Cup ranked No. 304, she defeated world No. 7 Mary Pierce in the first round and then world No. 4 Monica Seles in the next round.

Those victories were remarkable because Williams became the lowest-ranked player in the Open Era to defeat two top-10 opponents in the same tournament. The event was played on indoor carpet at the UIC Pavilion and was part of the WTA Tour’s Tier II category.

The other options are associated with Serena’s early schedule but not this milestone. The Evert Cup was a qualifying event she lost earlier in 1997, while Miami Masters and Bell Challenge do not identify the tournament where she earned her first WTA main-draw victory.