American Venus Williams quickly found her footing on the Wimbledon lawn today, sweeping into the second round of the major she has won five times.
Williams defeated Akgul Amanmuradova 6-3,6-1 at the All England Club as she continues to play into form following an absence of nearly five months due to a hip injury sustained at the Australian Open. She will next face Kimiko Date-Krumm, of Japan, the oldest woman in this year’s draw.
Williams returned to competition last week at Eastbourne, but needed only 59 minutes to dismiss the 97th-ranked opponent from Uzbekistan. Williams ripped 23 winners compared to five unforced errors. She collected seven aces and broke Amanmuradova four times.
“It’s always great to be back,” Williams told reporters. “To play a few matches at Eastbourne helped me feel pretty comfortable here. All in all, I’m pretty pleased. I only see pluses for today. I missed being out here playing.”
Amanmuradova could match Williams in height and power, but not in polish and experience. At 6-3, Amanmuradova is a forceful hitter of the ball. Yet, Williams relied on her championship pedigree at Wimbledon. She did not commit an unforced error in the second set and won the match’s final 12 points.
Williams improved her record at the All England Club to 69-9. Despite being ranked No. 30 in today’s WTA rankings, Williams is the No. 23 seed at Wimbledon, due to her past success. In 2007, Williams won the tournament ranked No. 23.
via nj.com
