KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. - Maria Sharapova needed nine match points before she finally closed out a win Saturday in the third round of the Sony Open, beating Lucie Safarova 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-2. No. 1-ranked Serena Williams won a marathon, too, taking 2 1/2 hours to eliminate Caroline Garcia 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Mens No. 1 Rafael Nadal began a bid for his first Key Biscayne title by beating Lleyton Hewitt 6-1, 6-3. Sharapova had two match points in the tiebreaker, and seven more in the final game. The No. 26-seeded Safarova stayed alive with a succession of vital winners. "She kept hitting unbelievable shots," Sharapova said. "One more. One more. I said, How many chances are you going to get?" With the capacity crowd in a frenzy, a long exchange on the final point ended with Safarova pushing a weary forehand into the net. She then shared a hug with Sharapova. The match took three hours and ended at 10 p.m. to conclude an 11-hour day session on the stadium court, with two night-session matches yet to come. "After a match like that, its tough to have only one winner," Sharapova said, "because both players give a lot and both want to win so much." Williams match was a thriller, too. A succession of long rallies left her grunting, stumbling, lunging, squealing, flailing her arms and scolding herself. Despite all the drama and trauma, she moved one round closer to a record seventh Key Biscayne title. Williams is playing in her first tournament after a monthlong layoff, and rustiness might explain her 41 unforced errors, including seven double-faults. And the 20-year-old Garcia kept Williams on her heels with deep groundstrokes and serves that topped out at 117 mph. "I can play a hundred times better," Williams said. "I really gave myself a tremendous amount of trouble out there. Granted she played great, but I made so many errors ... 40-something errors. Its not the way to play professional tennis. Maybe amateur." Three-time champion Novak Djokovic was off Saturday but advanced to the fourth round anyway when his next scheduled opponent, Florian Mayer, withdrew because of a groin injury. Djokovics next match will be Tuesday. Stanislas Wawrinka bounced back from his first loss of the year by beating Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-0, 3-6, 6-3. No. 7 Tomas Berdych joined Wawrinka in the third round by beating Stephane Robert 7-6 (5), 6-1. No. 10-seeded John Isner rallied to win an all-American matchup against Donald Young, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4. Isner is back in the top 10 this week for the first time in 18 months. Sam Querrey, Ryan Harrison and Jack Sock lost second-round matches. That left Isner as the lone remaining American in the mens draw, reflecting the state of U.S. tennis. Williams and Garcia engaged in a succession of side-to-side baseline exchanges that had the stadium crowd roaring. But she finished in a hurry, serving out the final game at love with the help of consecutive aces. Reigning Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has predicted that Garcia will someday climb to No. 1, but the Frenchwoman is now 0-3 against Williams. "Its always nice to play against a big player," Garcia said. "You are working and practicing to play this match, because its in this kind of match you can learn more. But next time I prefer to win." Williams is playing for the 14th time at Key Biscayne, an hour from her home in Palm Beach Gardens. She won the event for the first time in 2002 and tied Andre Agassis record of six titles last year. Custom Kansas City Royals Jerseys . The San Antonio Spurs handled the conditions, and the team, and it sure helped when a suffering LeBron James couldnt make it to the finish. 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Royals Jerseys 2020 .com) - Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall left Saturdays game against the Senators in the second period with a left knee injury.Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - The Detroit Tigers and pitcher David Price have agreed to a one-year contract to avoid salary arbitration. The Tigers did not disclose financial terms of the agreement, but MLB.com reports it to be worth $19.75 million. Its the largest one-year contract for an arbitration-eligible player prior to free agency, topping the $15.25 million deal the Tigers and pitcher Max Scherzer worked out last season. Scherzer, who also turned down a multi-year contract from the Tigers, is still on the open market as a free agent. Price can become a free agent next year, but the two sides can still work toward a multi-year deal. The left-hander joined the Tigers last July in a trade with Tampa Bay and was 4-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 11 starts after the deal. In 34 starts overall, Price was 15-12 with a 3.26 ERA. Price won the 2012 Cy Young with Tampa Bay and is a four-time All-Star.dddddddddddd He owns a career record of 86-51 with a 3.21 ERA in 186 games, all but five as a starter. The Tigers also agreed to terms with two other arbitration-eligible players on Friday, outfielder J.D. Martinez and pitcher Alfredo Simon. Martinez is coming off a breakout 2014 campaign in which the former Houston Astro hit .315 and set career bests of 23 home runs and 76 RBI in just 441 at- bats. Detroit acquired the 27-year-old off waivers from the Astros in late March. Simon earned a spot on the 2014 National League All-Star team and won a career-high 15 games for Cincinnati last season, with the right-hander posting a 3.44 ERA over 32 starts. The Tigers obtained Simon in a trade with the Reds during the Winter Meetings in December. ' ' '