Early action at All England on the women’s singles side brought some expected results with straight set victories for both Yanina Wickmayer and Venus Williams early on at Wimbledon.
Wickmayer defeated Varvara Lepchenko (7-5, 6-3) and the 22nd ranked player in the world should roll through the first few rounds. However, despite her impressive standing, the Belgian has yet to truly break through at a major — with a semi-final appearance at the 2009 U.S. Open her strongest major appearance to date. Yet the 21-year-old has the baseline game and potential to break through at some point. Perhaps this is her year.
Williams is ranked No. 33 in the world, but starts at Wimbledon ranked No. 23, and she looked dominant in the first round by defeating Akgul Amanmuradova (6–3, 6–1). Venus has been hampered by injuries, so a strong showing at Wimbledon would represent a return to form for one of the finest players in women’s tennis history — a boost for not only her but the WTA as well.