Venus wins 1st match at Wimbledon

6/20/2011
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Venus Williams
Venus Williams

WIMBLEDON, England  — Five-time champion Venus Williams, back on her favorite grass surface, swept into the second round of Wimbledon on Monday with a straight-set win over 97th-ranked Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan.

Williams, who returned to action at Eastbourne last week after an injury layoff of nearly five months, looked right at home at the All England Club as she beat Amanmuradova 6-3, 6-1.

Williams kept her opponent waiting for 10 minutes on Court 2, known as the former “graveyard of champions” for its history of upsets, then took her apart in 59 minutes with her hard-hitting all-court game. She served seven aces, broke four times and had 23 winners to only five unforced errors — none in the second set.

Williams also made a fashion statement, wearing a one-piece halter-top playsuit which exposed some of her back.