By Chris Oddo | Tuesday, February 24, 2015

 

Venus Williams saved a match point and went on to squeak past Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in Doha in a third-set tiebreaker.

Photo Source: Reuters

Venus Williams had to battle nearly three hours, but finally managed to come away with a hard-earned 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(5) victory over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova to reach the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.

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“It was hard work today, it was three hours of awesome tennis and I’m excited to be still in the tournament,” Williams said after improving to 12-2 on the season.

Williams failed to protect a break lead in the decider and suddenly found herself serving to stay alive in the match late in the third set. Things got even more complicated when Zahlavova Strycova earned a match point at 5-6, 30-40, but the Czech sailed a backhand at the end of a long rally and Williams took the next two points to force the breaker.

Williams avoided falling behind in the breaker when her late challenge was allowed, nullifying a Zahlavova Strycova service winner that would have given her a 3-2 lead.

Williams would earn leads of 5-3 and 6-4 in the breaker before converting her second match point when a forehand from the Czech sailed wide.

The hotly contested battle wrapped up with a testy exchange at the net between the two battlers, which instantly resulted in the following Vine:



Williams will face the winner of Wednesday’s clash between Agnieszka Radwanska and Flavia Pennetta in the quarterfinals.

Elsewhere in Doha, last week’s runner-up in Dubai, Karolina Pliskova, advanced in straight sets to set up a second-round encounter with Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro.

Suarez Navarro advanced when her compatriot Garbine Muguruza had to retire when trailing 6-5 in the first set with an undisclosed illness.

Also advancing on Tuesday in Doha were Elina Svitolina, who set up a second-round encounter with Victoria Azarenka with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Daria Gavrilova, Andrea Petkovic, who defeated Kirsten Flipkens in three sets, and Jelena Jankovic, who set up a second-round clash with Petra Kvitova by defeating Saisai Zheng, 6-0, 6-2.

Alexandra Dulgheru was also a winner, upsetting Alize Cornet of France, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.