Serena 1, traffic jam 0

Serena Williams can claim another first, and another victory: She beat the traffic by riding a bicycle to her match.

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

Traffic jams are common on the island, where only one road connects with the mainland and Miami. Williams said she heard it was taking more than hour for a trip that usually is only eight minutes from her hotel to the tournament site, and she decided she wouldn't make it to her match for the scheduled start if she took a car. So the hotel provided a bicycle.

"It was probably one of my best memories I think ever, riding a bike to a match,'' the No. 1-ranked Williams said. "That's pretty cool.''

Serena Williams, seeking a record sixth Miami title, fell 3-0 behind in the first set against her Japanese opponent but capitalised on four of her six break points to win. Serena reamined on course to break a tie with Steffi Graf for the most singles titles in the tournament. Venus Williams, however, pulled out of the tournament with a lower back injury before her match with fellow American Sloane Stephens.

Bopanna, Mirza advance

Rohan Bopanna and his American partner Rajeev Ram saved all the seven breakpoints in the second set to beat Eric Butorac and Paul Hanley 7-6 (8) 6-4. Bopanna and Ram were broken only once in the match. They next face Marin Cilic and Lukas Dlouhy. In the women's event, seventh seeds Sania Mirza and her American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands defeated Eva Birnerova and Varvara Lepchenko 7-5 6-3 in one bour and 21 minutes. They will play Jarmila Gajdosova and Sabine Katharina Lisicki.

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