Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Venus survives 3-set marathon
Williams defeats Bertens to reach fourth round; Del Potro advances
KEY BISCAYNE — Venus Williams acknowledge it wasn’t pretty.
At times, she played sloppy against Kiki Bertens in their third-round matchup Sunday in the Miami Open. It was Williams’ experience that helped her rally for a 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 victory at the Crandon Park Tennis Center.
“It didn’t look good sometimes,” Williams said, “but that’s why you keep playing until the last point. And that’s why I love this game.”
Williams trailed, 4-1, in the final set before rallying. She staved off three match points. The match lasted nearly three hours.
“I felt everybody behind me,” Williams said. “I got to play at home in front of a packed house on a hot day. My opponent played well. I had a lot of chances. She had a lot of chances. I hope it was really entertaining for you all.”
Williams, who made her debut in the tournament 21 years ago, advances to play defending champion Johanna Konta. The No. 11-seeded Konta defeated No. 22 Elise Meterns 6-2, 6-1.
Williams, 37, is attempting to win her fourth Miami Open title. She hasn’t won a tournament since 2016 and last won in Key Biscayne in 2001. Her sister, Serena, was ousted by youngster Naomi Osaka in the first round.
“I’m very happy to come back [Monday],”
Williams said. “I love it here. This was my first big win. I have a lot of great memories. I hope I can get another win this year. You never know.”
On the men’s side, Juan Martin del Potro won his 13th consecutive match by defeating No. 26 Kei Nishikori 6-2, 6-2. The fifthseeded del Potro is coming off winning the title at Indian Wells last week. Secondseeded Marin Cilic knocked of Vasek Pospisil 7-5, 7-6 (4).
In other women’s action, Boca Raton’s Monica Puig remained alive by defeating Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-3, 7-5.
“She was applying pressure there at the end,” Puig said. “I needed to serve it out. Just took the opportunities that I had and just tried to stay aggressive.”
Puig, who is from Puerto Rico, will play American Danielle Collins in the next round. Collins defeated Croatia’s Donna Vekic 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. For Puig, advancing in the tournament has continued her strong play since winning the gold medal in the 2016 Olympics.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Puig said. “Obviously, these results that I’ve had the last couple of days, it really feels good. I feel confident in my game. I feel like this year is all about just finding my opportunities and keep moving forward. The [Olympics] were the biggest moment of my life. I was only 22 years old when it happened. I was pretty young. It took me a while to settle in. I feel like I’ve matured so much in the last year and a half.”
Wozniacki claims death threat
Caroline Wozniacki, who lost to Puig Saturday, alleged some fans made death threats toward her during the match. Wozniacki posted about the experience on her Twitter page.
“During the match people in the crowd threatened my family, wished death upon my mom and dad, called me names that I can’t repeat here and told my fiance’s niece and nephew (who are 10 years old) to sit down,” Wozniacki tweeted. Tournament director
James Blake told reporters the players’ safety is the No. 1 priority.