Serena Williams blitzed her way into the third round with a display that combined discipline and bravura in equal measure. She saw off the South African journeywoman Chanelle Scheepers 6-1, 6-1 in 49 minutes.
Those who took the result as a done deal before the match began, take note: nothing is a given, and Williams has been on the receiving end of the proof. At last month’s French Open she was the white hot favourite for the title and was dumped out by the largely unheralded Garbine Muguruza in the second round – that just 12 months after her all-time worst Grand Slam performance on the same territory, where for the first time in her long career she was defeated in the first round of a Grand Slam, by Virginie Razzano.
“I’m always the favourite,” acknowledged Serena afterwards. “It’s been that way for the last three years and maybe years before that. So it can create pressure. But it’s ok – I’d rather it was that way.” Williams is 34 now, bidding for her sixth Wimbledon title and 18th Grand Slam singles title. But she is working overtime as she has entered the doubles too, with her sister Venus of course, with whom she has won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles including five on the lawns of SW19.
On Tuesday night the two of them played until 9pm, beating Oksana Kalashnikova and Olga Savchuk to reach the second round, but Williams appeared to feel no after-effects of that late night. Her focus at Wimbledon 2014 looks laser-sharp
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