Today’s Women’s News (3/26) – Miami

Written by: Staff on 26th March 2013

Sony Open tennis tournament on Key Biscayne, Florida

Today's Women's News (3/26) - Miami

epa03638136 Li Na of China returns a ball from Varvara Lepchenko of the US during their match at the Sony Open tennis tournament in Miami, Florida, USA, 23 March 2013. EPA/ERIK S. LESSER |

Miami

Five-time champion Serena Williams looked down and out as she trailed a set and 4-2 to Slovak pocket rocket Dominika Cibulkova. But the American who is now motoring in a white Rolls Royce to cure what she called her “mid-life” crisis upon turning 30 last year, managed to escape with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win into the fourth round.

The top seed and No. 1 looked lumbering and flat-footed in the first set before suddenly shifting gears and exploding into form against the 13th seed. Williams will play for the quarter-finals when she faces China’s fifth seed Li Na, playing at her first event since losing the Australian Open final in late January to Victoria Azarenka, where she suffered an ankle injury. Li beat Spanish teenager Garbine Muguruza 7-6 (8-6), 6-2.

Williams admitted she needed to give herself a kick-start to rev up her game after trailing Cibulkova, a dynamo despite standing only 1.61 meters. “Mentally I was just fried and I was just thinking about everything but tennis, then I just had to pull myself back together. I was too stressed out and not really calm out there for really no reason. “I also was playing a really good opponent who plays really well. She’s a good fighter and she’s a great player.”

Williams ended with 41 unforced errors and 40 winners, bolstered by 13 aces. She broke on six of nine chances in a struggle lasting just under two hours. Williams finished her afternoon with one-two aces,

Holder Agniezska Radwanska recovered after a slow start against American Sloane Stephens to post a 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 as she won the last eight games. Italian Roberta Vinci beat Alize Cornet 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 a day after the French player had to be taken off court in a wheelchair after exhausting victory in torrid heat and humidity. Belgian outsider Kristen Flipkens defeated Croatian Ajla Tomljanovic 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-3.