Williams, who was given a bye in the first round, was pushed hard by the unseeded Petkovic in front of a packed crowd at Pat Rafter Arena.
The American mixed the good with the bad, making 36 unforced errors but hitting 35 winners in the 98-minute encounter.
The defending champion now goes on to face Dominika Cibulkova in the quarterfinals after the ninth seeded Slovakian beat 43-year-old Japanese Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. ‘It was an intense match, which was really good,’ Williams said. ‘She’s a good player. She’s been in the top 10 before and she was on her way to being even better (before injury). ‘It was a good match for me.’ Williams said as soon as she saw the draw she knew it was going to be a tough match.
SHARAPOVA THROUGH
Australian teenager Ashleigh Barty has withdrawn from the Brisbane International tennis tournament with a tear in a left abductor muscle.
Barty was scheduled to play third seed Maria Sharapova in the second round on Wednesday. Sharapova will now advance to the quarter-finals, where she will play 2012 champion Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.
‘It’s been great to play at home in Brisbane and it’s disappointing I won’t be able to play against Maria tomorrow, but I’ve got to do what’s right for my body,’ said Barty, 17. ‘Sometimes these are really hard decisions to make but that’s what I have to do.’ Maria Sharapova will look to go to the later stages of Brisbane Open.
The American mixed the good with the bad, making 36 unforced errors but hitting 35 winners in the 98-minute encounter.
The defending champion now goes on to face Dominika Cibulkova in the quarterfinals after the ninth seeded Slovakian beat 43-year-old Japanese Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. ‘It was an intense match, which was really good,’ Williams said. ‘She’s a good player. She’s been in the top 10 before and she was on her way to being even better (before injury). ‘It was a good match for me.’ Williams said as soon as she saw the draw she knew it was going to be a tough match.
SHARAPOVA THROUGH
Australian teenager Ashleigh Barty has withdrawn from the Brisbane International tennis tournament with a tear in a left abductor muscle.
Barty was scheduled to play third seed Maria Sharapova in the second round on Wednesday. Sharapova will now advance to the quarter-finals, where she will play 2012 champion Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.
‘It’s been great to play at home in Brisbane and it’s disappointing I won’t be able to play against Maria tomorrow, but I’ve got to do what’s right for my body,’ said Barty, 17. ‘Sometimes these are really hard decisions to make but that’s what I have to do.’ Maria Sharapova will look to go to the later stages of Brisbane Open.