Serena Williams cleared another hurdle in her comeback from an eight-month layoff, surviving some shaky moments on Sunday to beat Elena Likhovtseva of Russia 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in the third round of the Nasdaq-100 Open.
In just her second match since returning from knee surgery in August, the top-seeded Williams won the first five games but struggled to control her groundstrokes for much of the match. She committed 34 unforced errors and needed five match points to close out the victory.
Williams lost just one game in her opening match here, but Likhovtseva had her grunting and resorting to theatrical body language to influence the ball. In the final game Williams sprawled to all fours in vain pursuit of a shot.
Likhovtseva, who beat Williams at the Australian Open four years ago, hurt her chances of another upset with a slow start and 10 double-faults. The last one left the Russian behind 2-0 in the final set, and Williams nursed the lead the rest of the way.
The win was Williams’s 14th in a row at Key Biscayne, where she has won the title the past two years. The tournament is her first since winning Wimbledon in July.
In other action early on Sunday, Jill Craybas of the United States upset seventh-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, and lucky loser Gisela Dulko of Argentina beat Vera Douchevina of Russia 7-6 (4), 6-4.
In men’s play, number three Guillermo Coria of Argentina beat number 25 countryman Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. — Sapa-AP