Sharapova sets up Venus showdown in rainy Miami

Top seed Maria Sharapova dodged the showers on her way to a 6-3 6-2 victory over Taiwan's Chan Yung-Jan to set up a third round encounter against Venus Williams at the Sony Ericsson Open yesterday.

Sharapova's match was briefly interrupted by rain, with the players returning mid-way through the second set before the Russian world number two went on to seal the win despite 30 unforced errors in windy conditions.

"Year-in year-out, the conditions are the same, they are to be expected," the 19-year-old told reporters.

Playing in just her third tournament since last year's Wimbledon, the unseeded Williams sat through a four-hour rain delay before defeating Maria Kirilenko 6-3 6-3.

Her 13th-seeded sister Serena advanced by the same scoreline against Anastasia Rodionova.

"I'm so ready, I've been training every day and I am tired of it," Venus told reporters.

"It gets a little bit redundant and tiring. The easiest part of tennis is playing the tournaments for me."

Men's top-seeded holder Roger Federer regained his winning touch after his surprise second round defeat at the Pacific Life Open earlier this month, easing past US teenager Sam Querrey 6-4 6-3.

Federer, playing the event for the ninth straight time, improved to 25-6 in Miami, having won the last two titles and 12 matches.

The Swiss player's last defeat in Miami came to the then number 34-ranked Rafael Nadal of Spain, now his main rival.

Golfing great Tiger Woods greeted Federer in the players' lounge before taking his seat in the stadium to watch the delayed match.

Swiss women's fifth seed Martina Hingis earned a 6-3 6-2 second round victory over Czech Iveta Benesova, but her compatriot Patty Schnyder was upset 6-1 6-4 by world no.56 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.

Eighth seed Nicole Vaidisova beat Michaella Krajicek 4-6 7-5 6-2.

In the men's second round, seventh seeded Croatian Ivan Ljubicic was untroubled by Italy's Filippo Volandri in a 6-3 6-2 win.

But German Tommy Haas, winner of 15 of his previous 17 matches, was knocked out 6-4 6-4 by the 95th-ranked Colombian Alejandro Falla, who was only in the main draw as a lucky loser.

Argentine number 11 David Nalbandian beat Vince Spadea 6-3 6-4 while 15th seed Richard Gasquet won an all-French contest over Florida-based Sebastien Grosjean 6-4 0-6 6-2.

"Today was tough conditions, all windy and everything," Nalbandian told reporters. "If I win one or two more matches and get more confidence, maybe I can be dangerous."