Serena Williams made a confident start to the defence of her Wimbledon crown, easing past fellow American Jill Craybas 6-3 6-3 in a first-round match lasting just 57 minutes on Centre Court.
Defending champion strolls through first round
Serena Williams made a confident start to the defence of her Wimbledon crown, easing past fellow American Jill Craybas 6-3 6-3 in a first-round match lasting just 57 minutes on Centre Court.
The champion was not at her best, achieving only a 53% success rate with her first serve and coming up with 21 unforced errors, but she did not have to be against the world number 67.
Williams opened in brilliant sunshine with a 92mph serve and quickly got up to 108mph to provide an early indication that, despite her failure to reach the French Open final, she remains the woman to beat.
The world number one lifted her title last year without losing a set and there was little indication that Craybas, 28, who has never been beyond the second round of Wimbledon, had the ability to give anything other than a useful work-out.
Craybas held her first service game easily enough but the champion was quickly into her stride and hit some powerful forehands to ease into a 4-1 lead. Craybas, who was playing Williams for the first time, put up some stern resistance, winning her fourth service game to love, but the champion served out to take the first set 6-3 in just 24 minutes.
Williams remained on course for a quick-fire victory when she broke her opponent in the first game of the second set but the champion, so assured on her own serve in the first set, produced a careless service game and Craybas took full advantage to break back.
That gave Craybas the confidence to play her best tennis of the match, keeping the favourite pinned back on the baseline, but it could not last and Williams duly achieved two more breaks and served out for a 6-3 6-3 victory.
Elsewhere, British hope Elena Baltacha appeared to freeze after going a break up against 11th seed Jelena Dokic and lost the first set 6-3 in 39 minutes on court 13.
Baltacha surged ahead in the second set, however, getting over her earlier nerves as Dokic suddenly wobbled herself.
Baltacha broke through for a 3-1 lead and then battled through three duces for 4-1 before Dokic lost her way completely.
The Yugoslav lost her next serve to love as Baltacha took complete command and served out comfortably for 6-1 to level the match.
Baltacha hung in gallantly during an exciting decider but finally went down to a single break in the 10th game as Dokic escaped with a 6-3 1-6 6-4 victory in one hour and 40 minutes.