Wimbledon: Serena Williams Survives Scare To Enter Rd 3, Venus Also Progresses
Serena Williams defeated Christina McHale in a hard-fought contest to advance to third round of Wimbledon 2016. In another match, Venus Williams got the better of Daria Kasatkina to book a place in last-16
Highlights
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Serena defeated McHale 6-7 (7/9), 6-2, 6-4 to advance to third round
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Serena is the defending Wimbledon champion
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Venus got the better of Kasatkina to book a place in the last-16
Defending champion Serena Williams survived a major scare from US compatriot Christina McHale in a thrilling Wimbledon second round encounter on Friday.
The world number one came from behind to defeat McHale 6-7 (7/9), 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and 29 minutes on Centre Court, narrowly avoiding what would have been her earliest-ever Wimbledon defeat.
Williams will face Germany's Annika Beck for a place in the last-16.
In another match, five-time champion Venus Williams reached the Wimbledon last-16, seeing off Russian teenager Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 in a tie featuring a rain stoppage when she held match point.
Williams, 36, was 7-6, 40-30 up on Kasatkina's serve in the final set on Court One when the tie was halted by the second rain delay of the day.
Seventy-five minutes later, the players returned with Wimbledon debutante Kasatkina saving the match point, the second of the day.
But Williams eventually triumphed at the third time of asking when the 19-year-old dumped a forehand into the net.
Williams, the eighth seed, will now face Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro for a place in the quarter-finals.