Serena Williams vs. Zarina Diyas: Score, Reaction from 2016 Miami Open

Serena Williams beat Zarina Diyas in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, to progress from the third round of the 2016 Miami Open on Saturday. But the reigning champion had to work hard in both sets, particularly in the second, when Diyas battled back from down 4-0 to make things uncomfortable for the world No. 1.

Williams will now face 2006 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in Round 4.

The WTA put the latest victory into context within Williams' decorated career:

Williams was up 4-2 in no time at all during the opening set. But Diyas battled back to pull to within a game after holding on serve.

Things were getting testy for Williams, as statistician Steph Trudel noted:

Diyas then had a chance to break serve at 30-30 in the set's eighth game. But Williams typically held her nerve to regain control of the opening set, control she almost immediately lost when Diyas held on serve again.

Sensationally, Diyas then took a break point to even the set at 5-5. But Williams promptly returned the favour to set up a chance to serve for the set.

But she first needed her team to solve some problems with the racket, per TennisNow:

The WTA relayed a highlight of the point that won the tricky first set for Williams:

Numbers from ProTennisLive showed how Williams' service game did the damage, with the American winning 14 of 20 points off the first serve.

A break sent Williams on her way to a two-game lead in the second set. Another break made it a hat-trick of games gone Williams' way. The top seed then consolidated that break to move to within two games of a perfect set.

Those hopes were dashed after another strong game on serve by Diyas. The dropped game seemed to momentarily rattle Williams, and Diyas soon claimed a vital break point before holding again on serve to move to within a game of her illustrious opponent.

Now it was time for Williams to regain her composure. She promptly did just that on serve, leaving her chasing a break for the win.

The WTA showed the winning shot by the defending champ:

That let Williams wrap up a match that was tougher for her than the scoreline suggested. The struggle was partly due to some uncharacteristic sloppiness from Williams, with TennisTV providing details about her many errors on the court:

Speaking about her upcoming meeting with Kuznetsova, Williams noted she is expecting an intense match, per Tennis_Now's Erik Gudris:

Williams will undoubtedly hope to improve on this uneven and make easier work of the fourth round, even though Kuznetsova won't bow out without a fight.