Venus all smiles after straight-sets win
FLORIDA – Venus Williams had every reason to smile on Monday as she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6- 3 7- 6( 4) to advance to the quarter- finals at the Miami Open.
Williams, who will next play Angelique Kerber after the top seed cruised by Japanese qualifier Risa Ozaki 6-2 6-2, is a three-time champion in Miami and first played in the tournament as a 16-year-old.
“I was still in braces, it’s been a long time,” she said in a post-match interview.
The 36-year-old delivered exquisite shot-making during a rally on match point to eliminate the twice major champion Kuznetsova.
Her next opponent Kerber was barely tested in her 62-minute match, feasting off her opponents’ serve, while second seed Karolina Pliskova also reached the quarter-finals as she beat 15th-seeded Czech compatriot Barbora Strycova 6-1 6-4. (