Four-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams reached the second round at the All England Club with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic on Tuesday.

The American No6 seed triumphed on the same Court Two where her sister Venus had on Monday suffered her first opening round loss at Wimbledon since 1997.

“It always has some sort of an effect,” said Serena of her sister’s loss. “I always want to play even better if she’s out of the tournament.”

Serena next faces Hungarian Melinda Czink, who cruised past Johana Larsson 6-0, 6-2.

Defending champion Petra Kvitova overcame early nerves to progress 6-4, 6-4 against Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan, but the 22-year-old Czech No4 seed did it the hard way, having trailed 3-0 and 4-1 in the first set.

Once Kvitova had reeled off seven successive games to take the first set and lead 2-0 in the second, she was comfortably in control, managing to shrug off a brief rain delay 5-3 and deuce in the second set.

“It’s unbelievable to come back as defending champion,” said Kvitova, who started her 2011 title-winning campaign out on Court 15. “I was nervous at the start. On grass you never know what to expect from me.”

Kvitova will now face Elena Baltacha for a place in the last 32.

World No2 Victoria Azarenka eased through, seeing off America’s Irina Falconi 6-1, 6-4. Azarenka broke her opponent six times, and saved eight of eleven break points to set up a second round meeting with Switzerland’s Romina Oprandi.

The first-round encounter between former world No1 Caroline Wozniacki and Austrian Tamira Paszek was suspended for darkness at 2-2 in the first set and will be completed today on Centre Court.

 

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