Six-time winner Serena Williams survived a first-set scare before overcoming Yaroslava Shvedova 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 Thursday to power into the third round of the ATP and WTA Miami Masters.
The top-seeded defending champion will next face France’s Caroline Garcia after dispatching her Kazak rival in one hour, 45 minutes.
Fourth seed Maria Sharapova, the 2013 runner-up to Williams, outlasted Japan’s Kurumi Nara 6-3, 6-4 in another opening test.
Williams lost a 3-1 lead and trailed 3-5 as Shvedova shifted her game up a gear.
Williams got back on track in the nick of time with a break for 5-all. A love game then ended with an ace for Williams before the set went to a tie-breaker.
In the decider, the 32-year-old Williams saved three set points as a nervous Shvedova missed her big upset chance in front of a screaming house full of her rival’s supporters.
After she also missed on a third, the Kazak handed over a set point to Williams, who finally finished off the 63-minute set on her second opportunity.
Hewitt wins 600thAustralian veteran Lleyton Hewitt captured his 600th career victory while countryman Bernard Tomic became the fastest loser in ATP history.
{{/usCountry}}Hewitt wins 600thAustralian veteran Lleyton Hewitt captured his 600th career victory while countryman Bernard Tomic became the fastest loser in ATP history.
{{/usCountry}}Former number one Hewitt rallied to defeat Dutchman Robin Haase 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the second round while Tomic fell in his first match since January hip surgery 6-0, 6-1 to Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen.
Tomic, ranked 74th, crashed out in 28 minutes, 20 seconds, believed to be the ATP’s shortest match by a minute. Tomic was playing for the first time since a retirement against Rafael Nadal in a first-round match at the Australian Open.
Hewitt, 33, turned in another of the trademark fightbacks which have characterized a career that included Grand Slam crowns at Wimbledon in 2002 and the US Open in 2001.
The 44th-ranked Australian reversed course in the second set to reach the second round in just under two hours, with Haase saving a match point before exiting.
"It’s not something you focus on, to tell you the truth. I totally forgot," Hewitt said of his 600th triumph.