SERENA’S SWEET 16
Aces test in Wimby opener
WIMBLEDON — For much of her brief stay on Centre Court Tuesday, Serena Williams looked as if she were playing on a boat deck, spilling here and wobbling there. In between times she did a thoroughly convincing impersonation of the world’s No. 1 player, one who seems determined to leave the year’s previous Grand Slam travails in the past.
Williams, 32, has won here four times, and began the pursuit of title No. 5 in distinctly different form than she showed last month in Paris, where she lost in the second round to Spaniard Garbine Muguruza, 6-2, 6-2, her worst Slam loss ever.
In her 6-1, 6-2, dismissal of 113thranked Anna Tatishvili, a new American citizen from the Republic of Georgia, Williams smoked 16 aces, including four in Game 6 of the second. Williams had to slog through seven deuces and fight off four break points in the opening game, and then plowed over the 24-year-old Tatishvili like a tractor in a field, dropping just two points on her serve in the second set.
Earlier on Centre Court, top-ranked Rafael Nadal overcame a sluggish start before taking out Martin Klizan of Slovakia, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, even as his longtime rival Roger Federer, seeded No. 4, was in vintage form next door on No. 1 Court, steamrolling Italy’s Paola Lorenzi, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. Federer showcased some of his beefed-up serve-and-volley game, something he is working on under new coach Stefan Edberg.
“It’s putting the pressure on the opponent, knowing that any short ball will be attacked,” said Federer, who had 18 of his 40 winners at net against Lorenzi. “There will not be too much rhythm out there unless you decide you want it as a serve-and-volley player.”
Day 2 also brought continued prosperity for 19-year-old American, No. 30 Madison Keys, the youngest player in the top 50, who won her first professional title last week at Eastbourne, and knocked off No. 52 Monica Puig of Puerto Rico, 6-3, 6-3, winning 32 of 37 points (86%) on her massive first serve, which was timed at 126 mph last week.
“As of right now, it’s definitely the biggest milestone of mine,” Keys said of her first title. “If something else surpasses that, I will let you know.”
Keys, who had lost her previous two matches against Puig, seemed poised to face her fellow teenager and countryman, Taylor Townsend, an 18-yearold wild card from Washington, D.C., in the second round, but the lefthanded Townsend got dumped by No. 31 Klara Koukalová, a 32-year-old from the Czech Republic, 7-5, 6-2.
Townsend, who is ranked No. 147, earned her wild card on the strength of making it to the third round of the French Open, but sprayed 25 errors in the first set and never really settled in on a blustery day.
“I definitely am not pleased about my match, but it’s just a learning experience, really,” Townsend said. “I have tons of tournaments to look forward to and a lot of great things are ahead.”
Then Townsend, who is the only tennis player here who might fairly be called roly-poly, fielded the usual queries about her fitness.
“I have a great team and staff on my side that have pushed and helped me and helped me understand and realize that my body is a total gift,” said Townsend, whose official height and weight are unlisted but who is estimated to be in the vicinity of 5-7, 170. “I realize that I’m very strong and I can do a lot of things athletically that probably many people can’t do. I train with 250-pound football players and we do the same stuff.” Williams said she has been doing exactly the same thing, almost from the time her French Open drubbing was done. Somebody asked her if she thought her Miami Heat was exposed by the Spurs, and she said she thought the Spurs were superb — and driven by anger over losing last year. She can relate. “Whenever I slip, I try to get up. That really, really motivates me,” Williams said.