KEY BISCAYNE, FLA. (AP) - Serena Williams started early and finished fast Saturday.
Walking onto the stadium court at 11 a.m., Williams dominated with her serve, played consistently from the baseline and moved into the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open by beating Roberta Vinci 6-2, 6-1.
Williams was done shortly after noon.
“I’m not a morning person,” she said. “I actually hate morning matches, but I always do my best at 11 o’clock matches.”
In men’s second-round play, Andy Roddick lost only five points on his first serve, never faced a break point and beat Gilles Muller 6-3, 6-2. Roddick hopes to improve a ranking that has dropped to 34th, the lowest he has been since 2001.
Williams won most of the short points and a succession of long rallies as well. She hit 25 winners while committing 20 unforced errors.
Seeded 10th, Williams is making her return to tournament tennis after a two-month absence because of a left ankle injury. At No. 20, Vinci is the highest-ranked player Williams has beaten this year.
Williams is seeking her first tournament championship since August, and she’s bidding for a record sixth title at Key Biscayne.
“I need trophies,” she said. “I want to add more and to do more. There are records to break. So I’ll do it. I’ve just got to believe it. I do believe it.”
No. 12-seeded Sabine Lisicki edged No. 17 Peng Shuai 6-4, 7-5. On the men’s side, No. 5 David Ferrer beat Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-4.
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