Defending champion Serena Williams eased past teenager Caroline Garcia to reach the Wimbledon third round on Thursday where she’ll face 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm, the oldest woman in the last 32 in the Open era. Top seed Williams extended her winning streak to 33 matches, just two behind the record set by sister Venus in 2000, with a 6-3, 6-2 win over French 19-year-old Garcia, who she also beat at the French Open. Williams, 31, chasing a sixth Wimbledon title and 17th major, wrapped up victory in 67 minutes with 30 winners and nine aces.
Despite their many years on tour, Williams and Date-Krumm have never played each other on the tour. “Kimiko is so incredibly fit and inspiring. I have never played her but I watched her when I was super-young,” said Williams after winning her 599th career match. Li Na, the Chinese sixth seed, overcame the in-form Simona Halep in a roller-coaster Wimbledon second round match on Thursday. Halep, the world number 32, was the toughest possible second round opponent for a seed, with her high ranking and impressive winning run, but Li survived a second-set scare to eventually triumph 6-2, 1-6, 6-0.
“I felt I played very well in the first set," Li said, before “I lost a little bit of confidence. “This is womens tennis: its always crazy on the court,” said Li Na. Fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska reached the Wimbledon third round on Thursday with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Frances Mathilde Johansson.
Radwanska, the runner-up to Serena Williams last year, next plays America’s Madison Keys for a place in the last 16.
Giant Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro moved sure-footedly into the third round of Wimbledon with a ruthlessly impressive straight-sets Centre Court win over American-turned Canadian Jesse Levine on Thursday. The 6ft 6ins (1.98m) eighth seed, seeking a second grand slam title after his 2009 U.S. Open success, won 6-2 7-6(7) 6-3 with a display of crushing power but also showed an athletic balance on the lush grass that caused so many problems on Wednesday.
Kei Nishikori equalled his best performance at Wimbledon as the Japanese 12th seed reached the third round with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-2 victory over Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer on Thursday. Nishikori last year became the first Japanese man to reach the third round at the All England Club since 1995, but he is aiming even higher this time. The 23-year-old next faces Italian 23rd seed Andreas Seppi for a place in the last 16. AFP