After a quarterfinal appearance at the 2019 Australian Open,
Serena Williams looked resumed her quest to climb the WTA rankings and this led to her being seeded 10th at the
Miami Open a few weeks later.
Having sprained her ankle in Melbourne, Williams was hoping to go through this tournament without any setbacks. The American faced Sweden's Rebecca Peterson in the second round, and quickly established her dominance with a 6-3 first set.
However, Williams began to falter in the second set, as her movements seemed limited as compared to earlier in the match. Not one to give excuses, the former World No.1 fought through, losing the second set 6-1 with Peterson sensing her discomfort and moving her around the court.
Despite the lop-sided score from the second set, Williams displayed her warrior spirit as she dug deep to overwhelm her Swedish opponent with powerful, precise strokes from the baseline. Having regained some composure, the 23-time Grand Slam champion battled through pain and fatigue to prevail with a 6-3 1-6 6-1 victory.
She would withdraw from the tournament the next day, citing a right knee injury that she developed during the match. Nonetheless, she once again displayed her legendary will to win.