(Reuters) - American Christina McHale beat Japan's Misaki Doi 6-2 4-6 7-5 at the Miami Open on Wednesday to set up a second-round showdown with defending champion and world number one Serena Williams.
The victory, which took a little over two hours, improved McHale to 5-0 all-time versus Doi and gives the world number 56 a chance to register what would be the biggest win of her career in terms of the ranking and stature of her opponent.
McHale, who has beaten a handful of top players and grand slam winners in her career, will be an overwhelming underdog against Williams, who has a record eight Miami titles, including the last three.