Sony Open: Serena Williams battles past Yaroslava Shvedova

Serena Williams survived three set points in the opener against Yaroslava Shvedova on her way to victory in the second round of the Sony Open in Miami.

The world number one American was given a stiff test by the 59th-ranked Kazakh, who led 5-3 in the first set and had three set points in the tie-break.

Williams, seeking a record seventh win in the tournament, relied heavily on her serve, firing 10 first-set aces.

And the 32-year-old dominated the second to seal a 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 win.

In their three previous meetings, Shvedova had only taken one set against Williams - but that came in a thrilling last-16 tie at Wimbledon in 2012.

And the 26-year-old was certainly not overawed in the warm Florida sunshine against her more illustrious opponent, who wore turquoise and orange to reflect the fact she owns shares in the Miami Dolphins NFL team.

After suffering the disappointment of being forced into a tie-break, Shvedova must have thought she had the first set in the bag when she prepared to serve at 6-3 in the tie-break.

But she pushed a forehand into the net before hitting a nervous-looking double-fault.

Williams, winner of 17 Grand Slam tournaments, took full advantage, winning the next two points with aces before closing out with a backhand winner which was met with a fist pump and a scream of "Yes!".

Earlier, Lleyton Hewitt became the third man currently playing to win 600 matches when he rallied past Robin Haase of the Netherlands 3-6 6-3 6-3 in the first round.

He joined Roger Federer (942 wins) and Rafael Nadal (675) in reaching the milestone.

"Not many people get the opportunity to get close to that, so it means I have been around for an awfully long time," said the 33-year-old Australian.

"I'm getting old. A few years ago when I had the last couple of surgeries, I probably would have doubted I'd get to this stage. I'm grateful I'm out there and able to compete with the best guys."

Maria Sharapova was scheduled to play her opening match later on Thursday, while the seeded men start on Friday.

Britain's Andy Murray, seeking to defend his Miami title, will start his campaign not before 01:30 GMT on Saturday against Australia's world number 67 Matthew Ebden.