Top seed Serena Williams dropped the second set before bouncing back to beat compatriot Christina McHale 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in second-round action at the Miami Open in Florida on Thursday.
The eight-time winner of the event took more than two hours to dispose of the world 56 and notch her 14th consecutive victory against an American opponent. The last countrywoman to beat her was big sister Venus in Montreal in 2014. Playing on what almost amounts to her home court, Williams was not in top form, making more than 40 unforced errors, but she finally wore down McHale in the third set.
"She's clearly capable of playing great tennis. She showed it today," a relieved Williams, speaking of her opponent, told Tennis Channel in an on-court interview. "Miami is such a special place to me. I live so close to here," continued the 21-time Grand Slam singles champion, who resides in nearby Palm Beach Gardens.
The hard-fought victory came only days after Williams was beaten by Victoria Azarenka in the Indian Wells final in California on Sunday.
In her only other tournament appearance this year, Williams lost the Australian Open final to Angelique Kerber in January. In other women's second-round Miami matches, third seed Agnieszka Radwanska advanced with a 6-0, 6-1 cakewalk over Frenchwoman Alize Cornet.
"I'm just very happy with that win, maybe the score was not showing everything that was happening on the court," the Pole said.
"But I think it was a great start and a couple of tight games at the beginning of both sets was the key."
Fifth seed Simona Halep also moved into the third round by beating Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 7-5. The biggest casualty was 11th-seeded Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic, who fell to Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-2, 6-3.
Baghdatis beats Becker, earns clash with Kyrgios
Marcos Baghdatis unleashed a series of powerful forehand winners to overwhelm Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Miami Open.
Cypriot Baghdatis compiled 26 winners, twice the number of his opponent, and broke the German's serve three times. The victory sets Baghdatis up for a second-round clash, and his first career meeting, with Australian Nick Kyrgios.
In other first round games on Thursday, Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan posted his first win of the year, and it took him nearly three hours to do so as he beat Croat teen Borna Coric 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.
The world number 76 plays Andy Murray in the second round.
Novak Djokovic, coming off victory at Indian Wells, and Roger Federer, who has missed almost two months with a knee injury, take to the court on Friday.
Federer meets the man who beat him in the 2009 US Open final, Juan Martin del Potro, while top seed Djokovic faces Briton Kyle Edmund.
