Awesome Serena storms into 2nd round
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-06-23 06:47

Champion and top seed Serena Williams ironed out a number of Wimbledon wrinkles yesterday to reach the second round with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Zheng Jie.

Number one seed Serena Williams of the US plays a forehand return to Zheng Jie of China in their first round match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, June 22, 2004.  Williams won the match 6-3 6-1. [Reuters]

The American, whose last match on grass was in the final here last year when she beat elder sister Venus, took a while to warm up on a windswept Centre Court before imposing her will on the Chinese player.

Zheng Jie of China plays a forehand return to number one seed Serena Williams of the US in their first round match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, June 22, 2004. [Reuters]

Wearing an all-white outfit with snow-white headband, Serena looked every inch the champion as she took to the court.

Her movement was not as slick as it might have been but it was enough to see off 52nd-ranked Zheng.

The Chinese baseliner battled gamely but she was no match for the power and match savvy of Williams who slowly edged herself to victory despite spraying as many errors as she hit thumping winners.

Williams broke in the first game of the match. She was briefly threatened on her own serve in the fourth game but held from love-40 down.

Zheng, playing at Wimbledon for the first time, refused to be cowed but Williams was simply too powerful, breaking again for 6-3 when she smashed a high lob into the open court on set point after half an hour of play.

The 22-year-old American opened her powerful shoulders on her next service game and crunched four unstoppable deliveries at her opponent.

But Russian sixth seed Elena Dementieva made a shock first round exit when she lost 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to Sandra Kleinova of the Czech Republic.

Kleinova, ranked 129, had never won a match in the main draw at Wimbledon before and was hampered by a knee injury for much of the match but she battled through the pain to beat the out-of-sorts French Open runner-up.

Kleinova needed medical treatment on her left knee at love-three in the second set, when she looked close to retiring.

In the men's side, Russian 19th seed Marat Safin suffered a surprise 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 defeat by compatriot Dmitry Tursunov in the first round.

Tursunov, the world No 70, marked his Wimbledon debut with a superb display on court two.

Safin's preparations for the tournament were disrupted by the severe hand blisters he sustained during the French Open in Paris and the Australian Open runner-up never looked at home under threatening skies at the All England Club.

Tursunov wrapped up his victory with a forehand down the line to take the fourth-set tiebreak 7-1. He faces Armenian Sargis Sargsian in the second round.

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