A whipping wind kicked up a wall of crushed red brick dust that surrounded Serena Williams as she stood to serve at 3-3 in the decisive set. A linesman covered his eyes and sought shelter against the back wall while Williams stood still, squinting through the salmon-colored cloud swirling around.
On a day in which an aggressive Nadia Petrova, an unpredictably gusty wind, and unruly bounces from the splotchy court all conspired to create a perfect storm for an upset, Williams kept calm and won the final three games to close an entertaining, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 comeback victory.
It was the 15th consecutive clay-court win for Williams, who snapped a two-match losing streak to Petrova. This was a match won between the ears as much as between the lines.
For a set and a half, the former world No. 3 took it to Williams, who was left lunging at some shots and shanking others. The two-handed backhand is typically Serena's most reliable groundstroke, but Petrova repeatedly beat her in the early backhand-to-backhand exchanges. When Williams wacked another backhand into net, Petrova broke at love for a 2-1 lead. Serving with authority and taking the first strike in rallies, Petrova surrendered just six points on serve in seizing the 35-minute opening set.
In the second, Williams took some medication during a changeover, but couldn't find a remedy for Petrova's play, as the Russian hit a beautiful full-stretch forehand drop volley winner for triple break point. Digging in, Serena erased the first two and saved the third with a running forehand winner cross-court. She fought off five break points in that game, and got away with a putrid drop shot that sat up to hold for 2-1.
A game later, Williams made her move. Petrova plays with a western grip on the forehand, and sometimes slaps that shot under pressure. She committed successive forehand errors and helped Williams break for 3-1. The world No. 6 converted three of four break points in the set, sealing it in 49 minutes.
When things go wrong, Petrova can quickly lapse into crankiness and sometimes acts as if the chip on her shoulder is as big as her racquet bag. Upset by the bumpy backcourt after she took a tumble, Petrova flung her towel aside without even looking at the ball kid scampering to pick it up. Some members of the crowd whistled and jeered in derision. Petrova was frustrated by shoddy footing, but wasted her energy creating her own conflicts on court.
The grounds crew dragged the court clean prior to third set and Petrova cleared the cobwebs from her head. Both women dug out of 0-30 holes to hold. Typically a shrewd mid-match adjuster, Williams worked the Petrova forehand over in a cross-court exchange to draw an error and hold for 4-3. The 30th-ranked Russian rallied to save three break points in the next game, but sailed a backhand three foot long on the fourth as Williams broke for 5-3. Serena closed the win by the same 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 scoreline Petrova prevailed by in their last two matches.
A decade removed from her sole Rome title, Williams faces Anabel Medina Garrigues next.
—Richard Pagliaro