| Saturday, 28 June 2008 Written by Ronald Atkin Venus Williams, the defending champion, is through to Wimbledon's second week after a 6-1, 7-5 victory over the 25-year-old Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. The match started out as a stroll in the park for Venus and ended with her needing to increase her input and commitment to see off a resurgent opponent in one hour 12 minutes. She has now cruised through three rounds without dropping a set and conceding only 20 games. This match, like the previous two rounds, consisted of one set won easily and the other narrowly. It was not that Venus let her level slip in any of those matches, simply that the opposition's level was lifted by the sight of who was standing on the other side of the net. This was the case with Martinez, who has never won a tour title and appeared to have been a more successful player seven years ago, the only other time she had met Venus. It was at the Australian Open and went to three sets. There was never much chance to repeat that score. Martinez was nervous early on, more frequently getting the frame of her racket rather than the strings to the thunderbolts aimed in her direction. The first set was concluded in 25 minutes. Just when she might have been expected to fold, Martinez came out fighting, holding serve at the start of the second set and deciding that boldness was the better option. She started to serve and volley, sometimes wisely, sometimes not, but it certainly succeeded in breaking the winning Williams rhythm. There were drop shots, too, to draw Venus forward and when she finally achieved her first break point of the match, the Spaniard grabbed it with a perfectly struck half-volley to level the second set at 4-4. Martinez next fought off four Williams break points to move in front 5-4 but now Venus decided it was time for the champion to show her pedigree, sweeping through the next games and ending the contest with a brace of aces to take her total to 11.
| Court 1 - Ladies' Singles - 3rd Round | |
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