By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, March 22, 2019
Serena Williams lost five straight games then bounced back for a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 win over Rebecca Peterson in Miami.
Photo credit: Lindsey Godwin/Miami Open
MIAMI—Squinting into the late afternoon sun, Serena Williams tried to shield her eyes from the bright light piercing the shadows and the flat strikes of Rebecca Peterson.
In her stadium court debut, Williams bounced back from a flat second set and found her focus in the decider to wrap a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 victory.
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The 10th-seeded Williams raised her Miami Open record to a tournament-best 76-9.
Shaking off that sloppy second set, she called "irresponsible", Serena showed the sheer will power Miami fans have seen throughout her career.
"I could not lose this match," Williams said. "I knew that I could play a lot, lot, 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, so...
"That determination was, I cannot lose this match just really kicked in. What do I need to do to win this match."
It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t always pretty, but the 37-year-old American played her most dynamic tennis in the final set and got the job done.
Serena wasn't satisfied with her performance.
"I'm not really thinking about my match too much today," said Serena, clad in black, in her post-match presser. "I wasn't really happy with my performance. Had to take a lot of time off the last week, so I don't know. Just going."
It was Williams’ first match since she dropped seven straight games to Garbine Muguruza before retiring from their Indian Wells second-round clash with a viral illness, while trailing 6-3, 1-0.
Williams dropped serve to start the match, but immediately broke back.
Days before launching her 18th Miami Open appearance, Williams joined Naomi Osaka, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on stadium court for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony. Williams, who owns a small piece of the Miami Dolphins, shredded through eight straight points on serve to seize a one-set lead.
The 63rd-ranked Swede, who toiled two hours, 37 minutes defeating German Laura Siegemund in her opener, came back strong in the second set cracking drives down the line.
Looking flat-footed at times, the 23-time Grand Slam champion dropped five consecutive games in the second set.
Peterson exploited 11 unforced errors from the former world No. 1 rolling through the second set in 32 minutes.
A look of concern crept across the face of Patrick Mouratoglou, Williams’ coach, while the 37-year-old Williams, who opted against wearing a visor or cap to shield her eyes from the sun, managed the conditions when it mattered most.
"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.
"Every time she hit, Okay, do I lob? But whatever. Like I said, I'm not really thinking about this match. I need to just move on and really focus on playing better or not being in the tournament much longer."
A recharged Williams unleashed some primal screams saving break point to open the decisive set and snap a five-game slide.
Exuding more emotion, the eight-time champion broke at 15 then blasted an ace down the middle extending her lead to 3-0.
Adjusting to both the conditions and the pace of her opponent’s shot, Williams broke again for 5-1 then served out a challenging test at love.
While her vaunted serve wasn't crackling with its usual vigor, Williams worked through the adjustments to the conditions and new court.
Continuing her quest for a 73rd title and first since she won the 2017 Australian Open, Williams will face 18th-seeded Qiang Wang in the third round.
Wang crushed 2017 Miami champion Johanna Konta, 6-4, 6-0.