Sony Open: Murray to face Dimitrov in third round

With Key Biscayne traffic in a snarl on Saturday night, Williams borrowed a bike at her hotel, rode to her match and beat Ayumi Morita in the third round of the Sony Open, 6-3, 6-3.

Williams’ match was scheduled to start at 8pm local time, and she learned about the gridlock before leaving her hotel. “The traffic was crazy and everyone was like, ‘I have been here for an hour, and I’m staying like eight minutes away,’” Williams said. “I’m like, ‘OK, I’m not going to make my match.’ So I asked for a golf cart, and the hotel didn’t have a golf cart. Then they were like, ‘We have a motor bike.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t do motor bikes.’ They said, ‘We have a bicycle.’ I said, ‘I really don’t do bicycles, but I will today.”’

Traffic jams are common on Key Biscayne, where only one road connects the island with the mainland and Miami. But Williams had never resorted to a bicycle before.

“It was fun,” she said. “It was probably one of my best memories I think ever, riding a bike to a match. That’s pretty cool.”

Meanwhile, world No 3 Murray clinched two breaks of serve in each set en route to a 6-3, 6-1 victory against an out-of-sorts Tomic.

The 20-year-old Australian has undoubted potential and has been touted for a bright future but, after a solid start, he offered next to nothing and by the end was barely running for the ball. Murray, benefiting from his winter training camp in Florida, said: “I just tried to make loads of balls. I don’t know if he was tired or struggling with the humidity, but he was playing pretty low percentage tennis. With the conditions like they were today, that played into my hands.

“I think both of us play with quite a lot of variation and there are definitely some similarities there. He probably hits the ball flatter than me off both sides and can probably generate more power. But I probably move a bit better than him.”

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga toiled to a straight-sets win over Victor Troicki in tough conditions to advance to the third round. Amid rising heat and blustery wind, it was not the prettiest of victories but the sixth seed prevailed 7-6 (8/6) 6-3.

Andreas Seppi, 16th seed, came through a strength-sapping match to beat Aljaz Bedene 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 while Sam Querrey, seeded 17th, came from a set down to beat Poland’s Lukasz Kubot 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

Eighteenth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber exited the tournament as David Goffin claimed a 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-2 win and 27th seed Martin Klizan was sent packing by Jarkko Nieminen 6-2, 6-2. Fernando Verdasco, seeded 25, and 21st seed Jerzy Janowicz were also knocked out. Colombia’s Alejandro Falla upset Verdasco 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) while Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci saw off Janowicz 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-3.

Fourth seed Tomas Berdych suffered a first-round wobble but responded well to sink Spain’s Daniel Gimeno-Traver 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.

American John Isner, seeded 20, also gave himself work to do by going a set down before raising his game to triumph over Ivan Dodig 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/5).

Eighth seed Richard Gasquet defeated Olivier Rochus 7-5, 6-2 to set up a third-round meeting with Mikhail Youzhny – a 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 victor against Lu Yen-hsun – while Ninth seed Marin Cilic, Nicolas Almagro (10) and Milos Raonic (14) advanced, courtesy of straight-sets wins over Santiago Giraldo, Guido Pella and Guillaume Rufin, respectively.

In the women’s third round, seventh seed Petra Kvitova and ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki were knocked out, while Venus Williams pulled out of the tournament citing a lower back injury – following in the footsteps of world No 3 Victoria Azarenka, who withdrew on Friday due to an ankle problem.

Three-time Miami winner Williams, 32, withdrew shortly before her clash with fellow American Sloane Stephens, meaning the 16th seed advanced by walkover. “I was having some pain yesterday and wanted to see how I felt in the warm-up today,” Williams said. “After my warm-up I realised I wouldn’t be able to be competitive at all today. It’s really disappointing.”