Wimbledon 2013: Williams Beats Minella 6-1, 6-3, Through to the Second Round.

Serena Williams.
Serena Williams.

Serena Williams eased into the second round of Wimbledon 2013, beating Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella 6-1, 6-3 to begin the defence of her Wimbledon crown.

92nd seed, Minella claimed a break in game two of the second set only for the five-time champion to win six straight games, wrapping up victory in 57 minutes.

Williams, a sixteen-time Grand Slam champion, came into Tuesday’s match after her triumph at Roland Garros and feels the transition wasn’t quite as easy as expected.

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“I played so much on clay this year it meant the grass transition was harder than I expected.”

The victory also extended her winning streak to 32 matches.

“It was really special coming out as defending champ,” Williams, 31, added. “Winning here last year was a great moment for me, but also winning the Olympics here means it’s really special.

“I never think about what happened in the past, I just think about what’s to come when I step out on court.”

Sixth seed Li Na defeated Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-1, while 14th seed Samantha Stosur of Austrailia eased past Anna Karolina Schmiedlova with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph.

There were also victories for 30th seed Mona Barthel, who beat Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, and 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm, who was a 6-0, 6-2 winner over Carina Witthoeft of Germany.