体坛英语新闻：Kvitova escapes Vekic challenge in marathon Miami Open clash

WASHINGTON, March 23 (Xinhua) -- No. 3 seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic needed more than two and a half hours to see off Donna Vekic of Croatia on Saturday and continue her Miami Open campaign.

Kvitova had to dig deep in the third round match, needing three sets to edge past the always-dangerous Vekic, the No.26 seed, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

In a match between two heavy hitters, the player serving was constantly under pressure for much of the opening set. Both players traded breaks at the start, with Vekic breaking first and Kvitova bringing them back level at 1-1. A total of 14 break chances were on offer in the next four games, with both players attacking the returns, but they were unable to convert, staying on serve at 3-3.

Kvitova seemed to find another gear and added more variety to her game. This seemed to vex Vekic as the Czech player took her chance to break Vekic for a 5-3 lead and finally closed out the set.

In the second set, Vekic stepped up her game and cut down on the unforced errors. She was rewarded with an early double break for a 3-0 lead before securing the set.

In the deciding set, both players continued to trade heavy shots from baseline, but it's Kvitova who broke first and took the edge. The scoreline went on with players holding on serve before Kvitova served out the match in the 10th game.