INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Struggling with her serve and a rash of errors, Serena Williams needed three sets to get by Sloane Stephens 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 in the fourth round at the BNP Paribas Open and extend her winning streak to 14 matches Tuesday.
Williams committed 52 unforced errors and had nine double faults to go with 13 aces and 31 winners in the up-and-down match played in 90-degree (32 Celsius) heat.
She set up match point with a 128-mph ace and won when Stephens dumped a backhand into the net, one of her 36 errors.
Williams broke Stephens three times in the final set of her third match at Indian Wells since ending a 14-year personal boycott of the tournament, where she has won two titles.
Stephens recovered after blowing a 3-1 lead in the first set to dominate the tiebreaker that included just one winner, a smash by Williams to trail 3-2.
Stephens won four of the final five points and then promptly got broken to start the second set. Her double faults in the first game set up both break points, and Williams cashed in on the second one when Stephens' backhand went long.
Stephens held to get to 3-2 before Williams won five straight games to close out the second set 6-2 and take a 2-0 lead in the third.
In third round men's play, Jack Sock upset 15th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; No. 9 seed Tomas Berdych beat Steve Johnson, 6-4, 6-2; No. 13 Gilles Simon defeated qualifier Michael Berrer, 6-2, 7-5; and No. 27 Lukas Rosol edged Robin Haase, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2).
Rafael Nadal takes on Donald Young later, followed by Maria Sharapova against defending champion Flavia Pennetta.
Roger Federer plays Andreas Seppi at night in a rematch of their Australian Open encounter, when Seppi upset Federer in the third round.
No. 12 Carla Suarez Navarro beat Heather Watson 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals.
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