KEY BISCAYNE (Florida): Former French Open runner-up Sara Errani edged Belinda Bencic 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the Miami Open’s first round on Tuesday to win a match between former top-10 players.

Errani once was ranked as high as fifth, and she was a finalist at Roland Garros in 2012. However, she has won only two Grand Slam matches since the start of 2016 and is now ranked 102nd. Bencic has been ranked seventh and is now 135th.

They combined for 14 service breaks in 28 games on Tuesday.

Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkins was made to work hard to move into the second round. The world number 85 lost the opening set to the United States’ Jennifer Brady but rallied to advance with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 triumph.

Germany’s Carina Witthoeft made swift progress with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over American wildcard Nicole Gibbs.

Ying-Ying Duan of China secured a second-round match against world number one Angelique Kerber by defeating German Laura Siegemund 7-6 (8-6), 6-3.

Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil will play Venus Williams in round two after her opponent Lesia Tsurenko of the Ukraine, the world number 41, retired when 3-2 down in the first set.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, the world number seven, is set to meet Mandy Minella after the Luxembourg player came through in three sets against Czech Kristyna Pliskova 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 7-5.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka secured a match with Simona Halep, the Romanian world number five, following her 6-2, 6-3 win against Kristina Kucova of Slovakia.

Shuai Peng of China was awarded her first-round contest when Montenegro player Danka Kovinic retired at the start of the second set, having lost the opening set 6-2.

Johanna Larsson of Sweden booked a second-round contest against Czech Barbora Strycova after beating Romania’s Monica Niculescu 6-3, 6-1.

In other first-round matches there were wins for Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena, Swiss player Viktorija Golubic and Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine.

Women’s play began at the hard-court tournament on Tuesday; with the men starting on Wednesday.

Serena Williams, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic all pulled out of the event with injuries.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2017