Wimbledon: Venus Williams beats Elise Mertens in straight sets, advances to second round

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London, July 2: US tennis player Venus Williams entered the second round of the Wimbledon 2017 tennis tournament on Monday (July 3).

The tenth seed Williams defeated Elise Mertens 7-6 (9-7) 5-4 to advance in to second round of the tournament after winning the game in straight sets.

The 37-year-old American star, who is playing her 20th Wimbledon tournament, didn't face much trouble from Belgian Mertens.

However, her advance was briefly stopped by a rainy spell as a light passing shower delayed Williams' victory, who is a five-time champion. The game lasted for one hour and 39 minutes.

Williams was able to focus on Wimbledon despite her involvement in a recent fatal car crash. She is being sued by the estate of an elderly Florida man who died last month after his vehicle was hit by a car driven by the American star.

The 37-year-old is accused of running a red light, inattentive driving and negligent operation of a vehicle, leaving Jerome Barson with a fractured spine and numerous internal injuries before his death several weeks later.

Williams, who owns a home near the crash site, last week said she was "heartbroken" over the tragic incident as she prepared to make her 20th appearance at Wimbledon.

The world number 11 put the horror crash to one side as she advanced to the second round, where she will face China's Wang Qiang.

Making her first appearance in the Wimbledon main draw, Mertens, 21, was just one when Venus made her Wimbledon debut in 1997.

Mertens, ranked 54th, was playing only her fifth career Grand Slam match, while Williams is a seven-time Grand Slam winner and reached the Wimbledon semi-finals last year.

Despite that vast gulf in experience, Mertens wasn't overwhelmed when Williams, the oldest player in this year's women's singles event, won the first three games on Court One.

The Belgian hit back to force a tie-break and saved four set points before Williams finally edged in front.

Recovering from 2-0 down in the second set, Williams was on the brink of victory with a 5-3 lead when rain forced the players off court.

Mertens had saved two match points before the weather intervened, but Williams sealed the win after the resumption on her fifth match point.

OneIndia News

(With inputs from agencies)