Diana Shnaider beat three-time champion Venus Williams 6-3 6-3 in 1 hour and 19 minutes to reach the second round at the Miami Open. Shnaider ended Williams’ record 22nd appearance in Miami in the opening round. Williams was playing her 85th match draw at the Miami Open.
Shnaider went up an early break in the first game of the opening set to open up a 2-0 lead. Williams won three consecutive game including a break point to take a 3-2 lead. Shnaider won four consecutive games with two breaks of serve to seal the first set 6-3. Williams broke Shnaider twice and held five game points to lead 3-1 in the fourth game. Shnaider converted her third break-back point in the fourth game on the sixth deuce to draw level to 2-2. Shnaider broke for the second time in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead and claimed her third consecutive game to serve out the win on her first match point. Shnaider hit 22 winners to Williams’ 15 and made 14 unforced errors to Williams’ 24. Williams made six double faults, including one on break point in the eighth game of the second set.
Shnaider set up a second round match against 17th seed Madison Keys. Shnaider will chase the third top 20 win of her career.
Shnaider is making her first appearance in the main draw of the Miami Open after losing to Laura Siegemund in the first round of qualifying. The Russian player won her first WTA Tour title in Huan Hin and lost to Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the WTA 125 final in Charleston. Williams was playing just her second tournament of the year following a seven-month lay-off. The US veteran player lost to Nao Hibino in the first round in Indian Wells and has not won a match since beating Veronika Kudemertova in Cincinnati last week. She is now ranked world number 457.
