Meanwhile, last year's runner-up and No.2 seed Serena Williams withdrew before her third round match with No.16 seed Conchita Martinez due to left knee irritation. Williams said the irritation wasn't related to the surgery she had last August, but rather playing too many tennis upon her return to the sport.
The punishing shots, lopsided result and crystal championship trophy served as confirmation: Serena Williams is back. With a performance worthy of her Wonder Woman outfit, Williams culminated her NASDAQ comeback Saturday by beating Elena Dementieva 6-1, 6-1 in the final of the NASDAQ-100 Open.
The 50-minute match was the most one-sided women's final in the 20-year history of the tournament.
Playing in her first event after an eight-month layoff following knee surgery, the top-seeded Williams lost just one set en route to her third consecutive Key Biscayne title. And she was at her most overwhelming against Dementieva.
"I think the rust has definitely worn off," Williams said. "Honestly, I didn't expect to win my first tournament back."
Williams wore the tank top and hot pants she refers to as her Wonder Woman ensemble, and she looked the part, winning 12 consecutive points early to take control and running off 11 consecutive games. When Dementieva sent her final shot long, Williams raised her arms and gleefully skipped to the net.
The last top woman to win a title in her first tournament following a layoff of at least six months was Monica Seles, who was sidelined more than two years after being stabbed and won her first comeback event in Toronto in 1995.
"I used her as inspiration," Williams said. "I thought, `If Monica can do it, maybe I can at least win a few rounds.'"
Basszus, lemaradtam a döntőről!
Otthon kezdtem, de az első gém végén elindultam a cimbimhez. Mire ott bekapcsoltam már integetett a közönségnek...
Mintha erősödött volna...bizonyos helyken. nektek nem tűnt fel?
Attól függetlenül, hogy Serena Williams igazán erőteljesnek érzi magát ebben az öltözékben, mint mondja, olyan, mintha szuperhős lenne benne - nem túl valószínű, hogy az All England Club is méltányolni fogja a sztrecs felsőt Wimbledonban.
Serena nagyon előnyös szerződést kötött a Nike sportcéggel, aki mostantól öt éven keresztül szállítja neki a teniszruhát. Ugyanakkor az amerikai gigantikus sportcégnek el kell beszélgetnie az All England Clubbal is, hogy az angol nyílt teniszbajnokságon milyen mezben léphetnek pályára a játékosok.
Christopher Gorringe, az All England Club igazgatója elmondta:
"Levelet intézünk a gyártóknak azzal a kéréssel, hogy lássuk, mit szeretnének viselni a játékosok, és eleddig mindegyikükkel nagyon jó volt az együttműködésünk."
Gorringe úr legjobban Serena Williams ruhájára kiváncsi, de, mint mondta, mivel annak a színe teljesen fehér, kész enyhíteni a követelményeken.
Az amerikai, 22 éves volt világelső az első fordulóban az új, kétrészes viseletben lépne pályára, de erről még nem született érdemleges döntés.
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. (31) Elena Likhovtseva (RUS) 61 46 63
The second outing for Serena Williams lasted twice as long as the first, but the top seed still managed to reach the fourth round in Miami. The two-time defending champion fought off an upset charge by No.31 seed Elena Likhovtseva of Russia to win her 14th straight match at the tournament with a 61 46 63 win.
Serena was only on court for 42 minutes in her 61 60 victory against Marta Marrero in the third round. And after sprinting out to a 5-0 first set lead, Likhovtseva began playing toe-to-toe with the former world No.1, finally getting a break late in the second set to force a third set with the 2002 and 2003 champion.
Serena wasted no time getting an early break in the third and finally served out the match at 5-3, moving into the next round on her fifth match point.
"I just couldn't get a ball in today," Serena said. "I just kept flying it. But it was okay. I'm glad I had that match, because I've been out of match play for a while. So that was pretty exciting."
Likhovtseva, who won the previous match between the two players back in 2000 at the Australian Open, said she let several chances slip a way in the third set.
"I think I started to play a little more relaxed than in the first set," Likhovtseva said. "It's tough to get in rhythm with her. She was hitting good returns and she didn't give me the rhythm. I struggled with my serve.
"Then, the second set, I played a little bit more relaxed and she just wanted to hit winners. Then all of a sudden, she started to make a lot of unforced errors. I think I had a lot of chanced in the third set."
Serena will next have an enticing fourth round matchup against No.17 seed Maria Sharapova. Sharapova advanced to the fourth round in only her second appearance at the event with a 75 62 victory against No.13 seed Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi.
MIAMI - Serena Williams didn't waste anytime making her grand re-entrance into the tennis world, needing only 42 minutes to win her first match in more than eight months. Williams defeated Spain's Marta Marrero, 61 60, on Friday to advance to the third round of the NASDAQ-100 Open.
The top seed and defending champion, out of action since defending her title at Wimbledon because of surgery to repair a partial tear of her left knee quadriceps, looks very close to the dominating player that won four straight Grand Slam titles.
"I was very nervous going out there," said Williams, describing the moments leading up to his return match. "I think my dad was with Venus practicing, so I was just waiting on my own. But then I decided that I'm just gonna go out there and do the best I can."
Though she hasn't played in more than half a year, Williams was still very critical of her game, citing several things she could have improved on in her comeback match.
"I think I could have done a lot of things better, actually," Williams said. "I think I miss hit a few balls, I made a few errors. I think I came in pretty well, my approach shots."
For the second straight week, Marrero was forced to play the tournament's top seed after qualifying. Last week, Marrero reached the main draw and had to face World No.1 Justine Henin-Hardenne. This time, she had the challenge of playing Williams.
"It's hard to play with someone like Serena," Marrero said. "But it's good to play with someone like her. It's good experience."
Ending an eight-month layoff, Williams easily won her opening match Friday at the NASDAQ-100 Open, beating qualifier Marta Marrero 6-1, 6-0.
The match was the first for Williams since she earned her sixth Grand Slam title by beating older sister Venus at Wimbledon last July. She had been out since undergoing knee surgery Aug. 1 but showed few signs of rust.
Williams' first stroke was a service winner, and she won eight of the first nine points with little effort. She closed each set with an ace, displaying the same overpowering game that had her ranked No. 1 before she was sidelined.
"I definitely was a little nervous," she said. "But once I stepped on the court, I was OK."
The victory was the 13th in a row at Key Biscayne for Williams, a two-time defending champion. Marrero offered little resistance, winning just 23 of 74 points and double-faulting eight times.
