Laura Robson keeps British hopes high; Serena Williams cruises too – Wimbledon Championships 2013
Laura Robson stunned the 10th seed, Maria Kirilenko, in straight sets at the Wimbledon Championships 2013 on Tuesday. The top seed, Serena Williams, on the other hand extended her winning streak to 32 matches by recording a 6-1,
6-3 win against Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella in the opening round.
The high-spirited teenager, Robson, kept her nation’s hopes alive after upsetting the Russian star in their first encounter at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
"I was so nervous, right up until the last point. 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. I could have gone
5-1 up in the second and I lost my focus a little bit when I started thinking about winning. So I just tried to get back to focusing point by point."
The 19-year-old showed her class in this match and held her opening serve with conviction. She held her remaining serves after hammering angled shots and got the breakthrough in the eighth game, eventually sealing the opener by
winning six games to three.
Ranked 38th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Robson lifted her game in the following set. She cashed two break chances and leaped to a 4-1 lead. Despite losing her serve in the fifth game, the Brit held her remaining serves
and clinched the set with a 6-4 score line.
Robson will next take on the Colombian qualifier, Mariana Duque, who upset Julia Goerges in three sets to set-up this epic battle.
The world number one, Williams, stayed on track to defend her title after crushing the Luxembourgian with a breadstick.
The jubilant American stated in a courtside interview after stealing the show, "It felt good .I love playing here. It definitely felt good to step out there and be on the court and hit some balls around.”
After Minella held her serve in the second game, the American unleashed flurry of groundstrokes and reeled off five games. As a result, she clinched the opener with a breadstick.
Williams lost her track in the start of the proceeding set. She suffered the first blow in the second game and fell at 0-2. However, the American not only recovered but broke again to take a 4-2 lead. Williams stayed focused and
availed another break chance, subsequently pocketing the set with a 6-3 win.
With this victory, the American veteran extended her winning streak to 32 matches. She will square off against the French qualifier, Caroline Garcia, in the second round.
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