Serena Survives Peterson Scare To Advance In Miami

Serena Williams survived an “irresponsible” second set lapse on Friday to see off Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 in her second-round opener of the WTA and ATP Miami Open.

“I was disappointed with my performance,” admitted the 23-time Grand Slam champion, playing in just her third tournament this year having lost in the Australian Open quarter-finals before stepping down in the second set of her third-round match against Garbine Muguruza with a viral illness at Indian Wells last week.

“Had to take a lot of time off the last week,” she said. “It’s difficult. But I’m through it. That’s that. I’ve just got to get my game back to where I know it can be.

“I told myself at the end of the second set that I could not lose this match.

“I knew that I could play a lot better. I just had to be better. At this point, it was irresponsible to be playing the way I was playing in the second set.”

Williams, an eight-time winner in Miami, was just relieved to make it through to the third round where she will meet China’s Wang Qiang who saw off Britain’s Jo Konta, the 2017 Miami Open champion, 6-4 6-0.

The former world number one was certainly rusty in her first ever match against the 63rd-ranked Swede, despite starting strongly and easing into a first set lead.

Peterson, however, who lost in the first round in Indian Wells, produced some excellent tennis in the second and managed to break down Williams’s serve to take the match into a deciding set.

As the South Florida sun began to lower, Williams appeared to struggle with her ball toss.

“It was interesting, because first of all it was dark out there, which was really odd,” Williams said. “I wasn’t sure if there should be lights. The shadow was so intense it was actually dark.

“Then there was light, but only on my side. That was weird because I literally couldn’t see.

“But I just have to move on and really focus on playing better or not being in the tournament much longer.”

Williams, is still seeking a first title since the birth of daughter Alexis Olympia.

She admitted it was sometimes hard to stay patient, although she believes returning to the top 10 after her extended maternity leave qualifies as “extremely successful”.