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Serena Williams

SEVEN-TIME champion Serena Williams moved ominously into the last 16 at Wimbledon when she recovered from a sluggish start to beat France’s Kristina Mladenovic 7-5 7-6(1) yesterday.

The American, seeded 25, looked sluggish initially and trailed 5-3 but the 36-year-old flicked the switch and reeled off six games in a row as Mladenovic wilted in the heat.

To her credit Mladenovic recovered her poise and had a chance to break the Williams serve at 4-4 in the second set.

Williams slammed the door shut though and piled on the pressure when Mladenovic served at 5-6.

Mladenovic saved one match point with a graceful forehand winner and forced a tiebreak but there was no stopping Williams as she steamed through it like an express train.

She brought up another match point with a 12th ace and finished it off with her 13th.

Williams has now won 17 consecutive matches at Wimbledon including the 2015 and 2016 titles.

She missed last year’s tournament because she was pregnant with daughter Alexis Olympia Madison Keys became the latest title-contender to fall at Wimbledon when the American 10th seed lost 7-5 5-7 6-4 to Russian qualifier Evgeniya Rodina in the third round.

The 23-year-old looked like salvaging a place in the last 16 when she clawed her way back from a set and 4-0 down to take the match into a decider on a hot and humid Court Three.

But world number 120 Rodina, who needed treatment early in the decider, refused to crack and broke the Keys serve at 4-4.

She slipped 15-30 behind as she tried to serve it out but Keys netted an easy volley.

Rodina got to match point with a stunning forehand pass played almost on her knees. Keys then netted a forehand, her 48th unforced error of the match, to hand the Russian victory.

The defeat of the US Open runner-up means only three of the top 10 seeds are left in the women’s draw.
Only two of the top eight survived to the third round – the lowest at Wimbledon in the professional era. — SuperSport