MIAMI: Italy’s Flavia Pennetta booked herself a second round clash with World No. 1 Serena Williams at the WTA and ATP Masters Miami hardcourt event after a 6-4, 6-1 first-round victory yesterday over Swede Johanna Larsson.
Pennetta, ranked 103rd, will meet Williams tomorrow in a second-round match at the $8.5m event, which 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 reclaim the top ranking, while World No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia tries to claim his fourth Miami crown.
Williams, a 15-time Grand Slam singles champion, won at Miami in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008.
Williams’ 19th-seeded sister Venus, a former World No. 1 with seven Grand Slam singles crowns, 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). AFP
