Tennis: Wozniacki outlasts Arvidsson to advance

INDIAN WELLS: Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki brushed aside a shaky first set to come from behind and beat Sofia Arvidsson 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 in the Indian Wells tennis tournament third round.

Denmark's Wozniacki, who won a half dozen titles last year, is still finding her way in 2012 and it showed Monday as she struggled to hold serve against her fellow Scandinavian in a two hour, 35 minute night match.

It was an uphill struggle at times for the former world number one as Arvidsson came charging out of the gate, using excellent ground strokes to seize control in some of the longer rallies in front of about 2,000 people at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Arvidsson was the victor in the pair's first encounter six years ago, when Wozniacki was only 15, but the Dane has now won five of their six meetings since then.

Wozniacki broke the Swede seven times overall, including three times in the final set.

Both players struggled to hold serve in a sloppy opening set. Arvidsson broke Wozniacki in the seventh and ninth games but was broken herself in the eighth. In the final game, Arvidsson took a 40-15 lead then closed out the set on her second set point when Wozniacki dumped a shot into the net.

Wozniacki broke Arvidsson in the 11th game of the second set, winning all four points and setting the stage for her to serve for the set.

On match point in the third set, Arvidsson hit a backhand drop shot that Wozniacki was able to reach easily to hit a running forehand winner.

Wozniacki advances to the fourth round where she will play Ana Ivanovic, who beat Ksenia Pervak 6-7 (8/10), 6-3, 6-2.

The 28-year-old Arvidsson has been resurgent this year, winning her second WTA career title after a six-year gap at the Memphis tournament last month, beating Kiwi Marina Erakovic in the final. (AFP)