Serena moves safely through first round
Serena moves safely through first round
Four-times champion Serena Williams made an excellent
start to Wimbledon on Tuesday, coming through an athletic first-round
match against Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova that was tougher than the
6-2 6-4 scoreline would suggest.
The Czech, ranked 62nd in the world, was a dogged,
determined opponent for the sixth seed on Court Two, chasing down every
ball.
However, she found Serena's powerful first serve tough
to handle, staggering backwards like a punch-drunk boxer when the ball
thundered towards her.
Serena served for the match at 5-3 but Zahlavova
Strycova broke her in a long ninth game, after forcing the American to
slide across the grass to save two of three breakpoints.
Serena, who last won here two years ago, broke straight
back, taking the victory on her second matchpoint and letting out a
scream of joy when the Czech put a forehand long.
Serena, whose older sister Venus lost in the first
round on Monday, will face Hungarian qualifier Melinda Czink in the
second round.
She may hope to be on a bigger court next time, having
wondered aloud at previous Wimbledon tournaments why she was so often
scheduled to be on the smaller Court Two.
Asked about that complaint on Tuesday, Serena was reluctant to reply.
"I just can't talk about that right now, I'm not in the mood," she told a news conference.
She was more forthcoming when asked what she had learnt
from her shock first-round defeat at the French Open last month.
"I learnt that... you've got to keep going," she said. "I was playing excellent before Paris.
"I was really disappointed, obviously I was extremely
disappointed. But," she added with a laugh, "as Kelly Clarkson says,
what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
Serena said she was delighted to be have been confirmed
on the U.S. Olympic team on Tuesday and was looking forward to
defending her doubles title with Venus next month at Wimbledon.
"I love playing doubles with her normally but
especially at the Olympics. It's a whole another level. I really enjoy
the opportunity to play with her, so it is real cool."
