Slick Venus eases past Bondarenko
WIMBLEDON
Date: 22 June - 5 July
 Williams will face Carla Suarez Navarro in the next round |
Defending champion Venus Williams breezed into the third round of Wimbledon with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko.
The American third seed showed no ill effects despite some heavy strapping on her left knee, winning in 69 minutes.
Top seed Dinara Safina overcame Rossana De Los Rios 6-3 7-5 and Svetlana Kuznetsova, seeded fifth, claimed a 6-1 6-3 win against Pauline Parmentier.
Former world number one Ana Ivanovic, seeded 13th, beat Sara Errani 7-5 6-1.
Jelena Jankovic and Amelie Mauresmo also play on Thursday.
Next up for Williams is Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro, who overcome Ekaterina Makarova 7-5 4-6 6-1.
The five-time champion pinned Bondarenko back beyond the baseline with an array of powerful ground strokes.
Host of players can challenge me - Venus
After being undone by breaks in the fifth and final games of the first set, Bondarenko defended her serve with a delicate drop-shot in the sixth game of the second that clinched the longest rally of the match.
But the 22-year-old could not conjure another winner when required two points later and Williams wrapped up her 16th successive Wimbledon win with 20 winners to her name.
"That's a great stat for me, a great achievement and I want to make it more. Everything was working for me today," said the 29-year-old.
A jovial Williams played down the knee strapping afterwards and appeared to enjoy keeping reporters guessing over exactly what had prompted her to wear it.
"It was just for support, that's all," she said. "I'll be wearing it in doubles too because it's working out.
"I really hate tape but I needed it this time and I accepted that, because this is Wimbledon."
A losing finalist at this year's Australian and French Opens, Safina has never been beyond the third round at Wimbledon.
Despite a lengthy second set, the Russian always looked in control and did not have to defend any break points as she brushed aside a player ranked 99 places below her.
Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens, who defeated Britain's Elena Baltacha earlier in the day, now stands between her and a career-best performance at SW19.
French Open champion Kuznetsova stormed past France's Parmentier, taking the opening set in 25 minutes and then breaking in the fifth game of the second.
World number 78 Parmentier threatened to hit back immediately, but could not convert from 0-30 and Kuznetsova, 23, cruised to victory.
Kuznetsova's victory could have been even more convincing had she converted more than four of the twelve break points she forced.
But a polished performance from the Russian, which included several well-judged charges to the net, will have fuelled her hopes of becoming the first women since Serena Williams in 2002 to win successive Grand Slam titles.
She was however bemused by the scheduling of some of the matches in the ladies' draw.
"They don't have to put me Centre Court, but the schedule is a little bit weird," said Kuznetsova.
"If you look at the schedule, it's not about only me. It's about Dinara Safina plays on court No. 2, Venus plays on court No. 1, and girls who are not very high-seeded, they play Centre.
 Ivanovic is ranked outside the world's top 10 for the first time in two years. |
"But in Wimbledon you have to expect anything. That's why I like it, because it's unpredictable."
Ivanovic struggled in her tournament opener where she was twice saw off match points against her before beating Lucie Hradecka, but looked far more comfortable after ending Errani's first-set resistance.
The Serb broke as her Italian opponent served for the opener and, after winning the next two games, repeated the trick twice more early in the second to ensure a more leisurely conclusion.
Ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki takes on Maria Kirilenko on Centre Court later today.
Polish 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska was taken deep into a third set by China's Shuai Peng before coming through 6-2 6-7 (8-6) 9-7 on Court 14.
Australian 18th seed Sam Stosur, who reached the semi-finals of the French Open earlier this year, was also pushed hard by Germany's Tatjana Malek, but recovered from 4-1 down in the final set to win 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.
China's Na Li, seeded 19th for the tournament, enjoyed a more straightforward victory as she overcame Belarus's Olga Govortsova 6-4 6-2.
