The Miami Masters kicked off with Pennetta overcoming Larsson in straight sets to book a match against Williams. PHOTO: AFP
The $8.5 million event awarded byes to all 32 seeded players in both the men’s and women’s draws.
The third-round foe for Williams if she beats Pennetta will be either 31st seed Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium or Japan’s Ayumi Morita, who outlasted Britain’s Heather Watson 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Williams will try to become the first six-time winner at Miami in her first event since reclaiming the top ranking, while world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia tries to claim his fourth Miami crown. Williams won at Miami in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008. The 31-year-old American is the reigning US Open, Wimbledon and Olympic champion.
Meanwhile, Williams’ 19th-seeded sister Venus will open against Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm, who ousted South Africa’s Chanelle Scheepers 6-2, 6-0.
Defending champion and fourth-seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland will open against Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei, who downed Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko 6-4, 7-6 (17-15).
In other matches, Chinese fifth-seed Li Na learned she will open against Dutch rival Kiki Bertens while China’s Peng Shuai downed Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson 6-3, 6-2, and will face Czech seventh-seed Petra Kvitova in the second round.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2013.
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