Venus saves match points to best Bertens at Miami Open

MIAMI, FL, USA -- Three-time champion and No.8 seed Venus Williams of the United States survived a grueling, topsy-turvy battle in the third round of the Miami Open on Sunday, fending off three match points before ultimately prevailing over No.29 seed Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5.

"It was a very interesting match, to say the least," Williams said afterwards.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion led 5-0 in the first set before the Dutchwoman reeled off seven straight games to take a one-set lead. But Williams fought hard, claiming the second set and rallying from 1-4 down in the final set to win the marathon match in just under three hours.

"I just tried to hang in there; it was really not that much fun for that to happen," Williams said, when asked about the first set's ups and downs. "But that’s tennis."

Williams needed to overcome outstanding play by Bertens, and had to withstand 19 break points, saving 12 of them. With nearly equal first-serve percentages, a key for the American was winning more points on her second serve than Bertens did, with a 49 percent success rate compared to the Dutchwoman's 35 percent. Bertens had eight aces in the match, but could only save seven of Williams' 15 break points.

Williams moves into the fourth round of the Miami Open for the fifteenth time in her illustrious career, where she will face defending champion Johanna Konta of Great Britain in the round of 16. Konta rolled over Belgian Elise Mertens

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"[Konta] totally seems on form, and both of us will be eager to advance, so I’ll do my best," said Williams.

Williams got off to a flying start, pulling off a five-game winning streak behind persistent aggressive play, moving forward to put away points when she found the opportunities to do so. Bertens was also hampered by unforced errors during this stretch, and after losing 19 of the first 25 points and falling behind 5-0, she called her interim coach, Elise Tamaela, onto the court for a pep talk.

When play resumed in the next game, Bertens methodically began to pull her way back into the contest, adding more topspin to her forehand and dramatically reducing her unforced errors. Williams dropped serve at 5-1 after double faulting down break point, and Bertens then held for 5-3 with a forehand winner, but the American was still up a break, and served for the set again.

Williams held three set points at 5-3, but a combination of strong returning by Bertens and inopportune errors by the American caused those to go wanting. Bertens reached break point, and, after a strong service return, the Dutch player slammed a forehand winner to get back on serve.

In the next Williams service game, the American let another lead slip due to errors, and another solid Bertens forehand forced an error on break point, giving Bertens a surprising chance to serve for the set at 6-5. The No.29 seed successfully did so, taking her seventh consecutive game on her third set point to grab a one-set advantage.

Williams was seemingly unfazed by the surprising turn of events in the first set, and the veteran mentality that has made her a top player for two decades came into play in the second set. The American broke Bertens for 2-0, overcoming a 40-0 start in the game by the Dutchwoman to take the lead after a difficult nine-minute game with seven deuces.

But Bertens showed mettle of her own, getting right back on serve in the next game, and then breaking the Williams serve once more, on her sixth break point of an 11-minute game, to lead by a set and a break at 7-5, 3-2.

Williams, however, would regain the form she held at the start of the set. Another lengthy game transpired, this time on the Bertens serve, and Williams used some powerful forehands to take command and break for 3-3. That started a four-game winning streak for Williams to close out the second set, which she did by claiming a set point with an ace at 5-3, and converting it after a Bertens forehand went wide.

Despite the momentum seemingly being with the former World No.1 at this point, Bertens was hardly disconsolate. In fact, the Dutch player grabbed the initial lead of the set, breaking Williams for a 3-1 lead with a beautiful crosscourt forehand service return for a winner.

Bertens consolidated the break by holding for 4-1 with a forehand winner down the line, and then had a chance to break for 5-1 in the next game, before Williams recovered to hold for 4-2 and stay within touching distance. Bertens blinked after that opportunity passed her by, and hit a plethora of miscues to hand a break to Williams, putting the American back on serve.

But it was then Williams’ turn to falter on serve, and Bertens broke for 5-3 with a forehand winner following a perfect service return smack on the sideline. Serving for the win, Bertens reached double match point after a Williams service return went wide. However, the Dutch player could not convert either, and after a failed serve-and-volley, Williams again was back on serve.

The American legend then got herself in trouble on her own serve in the next game, throwing in a double fault at 30-30 to give Bertens a third match point. But Bertens popped a backhand service return into the net, and Williams steeled herself to hold for 5-5.

Williams then hit multiple backhand winners to break Bertens one final time, allowing her to serve for the match at 6-5. Williams safely got through her final service game to complete a remarkable third-set comeback, in a match replete with twists and turns which the former top-ranked superstar was better equipped to withstand.

Williams answered in the affirmative when asked if the crowd support helped her to overcome the match points and soldier on. "They were definitely on my side," she stated. "It’s great to play at home and enjoy that support."