(Reuters) - Top seed Serena Williams turned an early challenge into an eventual cakewalk as she beat Russian-born Yulia Putintseva 7-6(2) 6-0 in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in California on Sunday.
As boxing great Mike Tyson watched on, Williams punched below her weight in the first set, during which she made 29 unforced errors and had to break Putinsteva’s service to force a tiebreak.
The second set was not a fair fight, with business as usual resumed as Williams overwhelmed her opponent. "I started to get more confidence to continue to go for it,” Williams told reporters, referring to her strong finish.