Serena Cruises While Kirilenko is Upset at Wimbledon
On Tuesday, American world number one Serena Williams beat Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella, 6-1, 6-3, in her first match of Wimbledon 2013. Serena has won the past 32 matches she’s played. Although Serena defeated Minella within an hour on the court, she lost her serve at the start of the second set to go 2-0 down, hitting a double fault on break point. Serena regained power in the following game when Minella also double faulted.
The 16-time Grand Slam winner closed the match when Minella hit a forehand long. The 92nd-ranked Minella has yet to win a WTA singles title. Serena will next challenge Caroline Garcia of France in the second round.
"I feel like I was a little rusty for some reason today," said Serena. "I don’t feel like I played my best tennis. I felt really upset when I lost my serve at the beginning in the second set – with that being said, I think Mandy played really well. I thought she was really mixing up her shots, mixing up her game. It wasn’t an easy match for me. To be honest, I’m a little excited I was able to play a tough match and get through it."
Also on Tuesday, number 10 seed Maria Kirilenko of Russia was defeated by Britain’s unseeded Laura Robson, 6-3, 6-4. The 19-year-old Robson moved at ease through the first set with smooth ground strokes and consistent momentum, and led 4-1 in the second, eventually ending the match with a forehand winner. Robson advances to face Mariana Duque of Columbia in the second round at Wimbledon.
"I was so nervous, right up until the last point," Robson said . "I was walking to the net not totally sure if my forehand was in or not! That was a big one for me because of all the nerves and playing in front of my home crowd."
