March 31, 2014 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal
World number one Serena Williams added another trophy to her mantle Saturday, capturing her seventh Sony Open Tennis crown in just under two hours after a hard-fought 7-5, 6-1 win in Miami over Li Na. Li, currently ranked number two in the world, dominated Serena from the get-go, getting off to a strong 5-2 start in the first set before Serena climbed back to not only claim the first set, but eventually dominate the second set, 6-1. It was Serena’s ninth trip to the finals in Miami, becoming one of only four players to win the same WTA event seven or more times (along with Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf).
"It was a really important victory, especially playing Li Na, who has been playing so well," Serena said on-court after the victory. "She started out so well … I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I just need to hang in here.' Then I heard some fans trying to pull me through. If it hadn't been for you guys I wouldn't be standing here right now."
Serena’s first victory in Miami came in 2002 when she was just 20-years-old against Jennifer Capriati, and the event was named the Nasdaq-100 Open.
