#SerenaWilliams survived a rocky start to her 2019 #MiamiOpen campaign but still impressed the crowd with her ability to rebound from a mid-match hiccup as she stomped to a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 win over the dangerous #RebeccaPeterson in the second round of competition.
Williams played a high-quality match bar the second set when nothing was working for her, while her lower-ranked opponent was simply firing on all cylinders. It was a very spirited performance from the Swede, who proved her capabilities by bringing the 23-time Major champion to a deciding set — a feat not many would be able to achieve.
Peterson fired 15 winners to just 18 unforced errors and played a very clean match, but that is not enough against the legendary American as Williams blasted 27 winners and misfired on just 23 occasions. Despite a low first serve percentage of 54, the 10th seed defended 55 percent of her second serve points, and Peterson struggled behind her second serves after winning just 41 percent of those points.
Williams, after suffering from a viral illness which forced her to retire in the third round at the BNP Paribas Open last week, is successfully into the third round here in Miami for the first time since 2016 and will face Wang Qiang on Sunday. This will be the first meeting between both players, and it will definitely be an intriguing clash.
Decent performance from Williams
Williams lost a 40-0 lead and was broken in the opening game, although Peterson was unable to hold onto her advantage as she was broken straight back with some aggressive returns from the American. It looked to be a very tightly-contested affair when the scores were tied at 3-3, but Williams upped her level and her game elevated to another gear as she claimed three consecutive games to close out the opening frame.
Peterson was an inch away from getting broken in the third game of the second set, which would mean a virtual defeat. However, the world number 63 produced moments of excellence as she survived that nervy game and went on to claim five consecutive games, stunning the exuberant home crowd to level the scores.
The first game of the decider was crucial as Williams was forced to save a break point to hold. And that was the turning point of the match as it was the American’s turn to claim three straight games of her own. Being the eight-time champion here in Miami, Williams was clinical in the final set and never looked back, claiming the not-so-straightforward 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 win after an hour and 37 minutes of action.
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