Serena Williams overcomes sluggish start, rallies, advances to quarterfinals in Sony Open

Serena Williams urges herself on, during a match against Dominika Cibulkova, of Slovakia, during the Sony Open tennis tournament, Monday, March 25, 2013, in Key Biscayne, Fla. PHOTO/Lynne Sladky/AP

Serena Williams overcame a big deficit in her fourth-round match at the Sony Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., to beat Dominika Cibulkova, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

The top-ranked Williams, seeking her sixth Key Biscayne title and her first since 2008, was down a service break trailing by 4-1 in the second set before she won five straight games.

She swept the final three games and served out the match at love with three aces. Williams’ opponent in the quarterfinals will be No. 5-seeded Li Na, who beat a wild card, Garbine Muguruza, 7-6 (6), 6-2.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press