Williams sisters advance at Key Biscayne
KEY BISCAYNE (AP) – Serena Williams smacked an ace with her final swing, then raised a fist and began to pogo.
One, two, three, four times she hopped, showing uncommon exuberance over reaching the quarterfinals in a tournament she dominates. Survival is something to celebrate, and Williams barely made it out of the fourth round Monday at the Sony Ericsson Open.
The top-ranked Williams twice lost five games in a row, but finished with a flourish and defied the tournament’s upset trend by beating No. 17-seeded Zheng Jie 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.
Also reaching the final eight was No. 5-seeded Venus Williams, who staged her own narrow escape to beat Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. The Williams sisters could face each other in the semifinals Thursday.
Serena Williams is seeking a record sixth Key Biscayne title and her third in a row. Her reign was in danger when she fell behind 0-2, 15-40 serving in the third set, but she rallied to take the lead, then swept the final eight points.
Williams won despite being broken six times and committing 43 unforced errors.
Venus’ earlier match followed a similar script. She shanked overheads. She double-faulted three times in the final game. She grimaced and frowned and dropped her racket as if she wanted nothing more to do with it.
Venus Williams picked up her racket, and her game when it mattered most.
“Fortunately I’ve had experiences like that before,” Venus said. “I know how to get through it.”
The Williams sisters are the lone remaining players ranked in the top seven. Among those eliminated Monday were Olympic champion Elena Dementieva and two-time Grand Slam winner Amelie Mauresmo.
On the men’s side, where there have been no big surprises, top-ranked Rafael Nadal reached the fourth round by beating qualifier Frederico Gil 7-5, 6-3. No. 4-seeded Andy Murray defeated Nicolas Massu 6-4, 6-4.