Saturday 9 May 2015 09:24, UK
Serena Williams squeezed into the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open after Victoria Azarenka blew three match points by double-faulting.
The world No 1 made the most of a stunning Azarenka meltdown to win 7-6 3-6 7-6 after being close to an early exit and a first defeat of 2015.
Azarenka served for the match at 6-5 in the deciding set, and appeared to be on her way through when she took a 40-0 lead.
But incredibly the Belarus star served three straight double faults, lost the game and then won only one point in the tie-break as Williams reached the last-eight despite an error-strewn display.
"I feel like the first two sets went by and then we ended up with this long third set," said Williams, who will face Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarter-finals.
"I could have won, she could have won and I ended up winning -- I don't know how. Yeah I feel like it was intense. I don't feel that there were a lot of long points."
Azarenka, who is rebuilding her career after an injury-plagued 2014 season, was not too disheartened despite the manner of her defeat.
'It just happens. It wasn't just the serve," the world No 31 said.
"She played very well at that moment and really on the last match point the difference between winning or losing was less than a centimetre.
"I wouldn't say I let myself down, just sometimes it doesn't go your way."
