Venus makes no mistake

Venus makes no mistake

Saturday's WTA round-up

Latest results

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Nasdaq-100 Open

Venus joined sister Serena in the third round

Venus Williams marched into the third round round of the Nasdaq-100 in Miami but several other seeds fell on a sweltering Saturday.

Former champion Venus beat Japan's Shinobu Asagoe 6-3 6-1 to join her sister Serena, the defending champion, in the next stage despite problems with her serve.

"My toss isn't in the right spot. I'm not able to execute very well, but normally I'm not making mistakes when a point really counts," said Williams, who meets Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland on Sunday.

Jennifer Capriati, the sixth seed, eased past Anastassia Rodionova 7-6 6-2 in a match twice briefly delayed by rain on the Stadium Court.

Capriati, runner-up in Miami in each of the last two years, had to dig deep in the first-set tie-break before breaking the spirited Russian in a one-sided second set.

"She wasn't giving up, that's for sure," Capriati said.

"I raised the level of my game in the second set. Even if I'd lost the tie-break, I think I was right there anyway."

Sarah Taylor claimed one of the biggest successes of her career by eliminating Anastasia Myskina, the world number 11 and an Australian Open quarter-finalist this year, 7-5 6-4.

The 21-year-old American, given a wild card into the tournament, took 93 minutes to see off the talented Russian, a title-winner in Doha in February.

Her opponent in the last 32 will be Ai Sugiyama of Japan, the 17th seed who beat Russia's Dinara Safina, the sister of former men's world number one Marat Safin, 3-6 7-5 6-2.

Two other seeds were eliminated.

South African Amanda Coetzer lost 6-1 6-4 to Germany's Marlene Weingartner and Marie-Gaiane Mikaelian was beaten 6-3 6-2 in an all-Swiss second-round match against Emmanuelle Gagliardi.

Fourth seed Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium beat Russia's Vera Douchevina 6-3 6-2.

Eighth seed Amelie Mauresmo of France was made to work hard before overcoming Marta Marrero of Spain 2-6 6-2 7-6.

But Italy's 20th seed Silvia Farina Elia found the 100-degree temperatures too much and retired against Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia.