Serena Williams, in hot pursuit of all four Grand Slams in the same year, took another step towards that lofty objective with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over the Russian qualifier Margarita Gasparyan on No.1 Court, but she didn't have things all her own way.
Having already pocketed the Australian and French titles in 2015 and being a clear favourite (as well as the No.1 seed), Serena might have fallen prey to an excess of confidence about her first opponent being someone who had never previously trodden the grass at The All England Club, but at the age of 33 and having won the ladies’ title here on five previous occasions, she knew well enough that anyone who had come through the angst of qualifying – and without dropping a set on the way – should not be underestimated.
Even so, Serena was entitled to a degree of bafflement as Gasparyan, ranked 113 and so far without a single win at the top level of the ladies’ game, came out with all guns blazing, breaking Serena's serve at the first time of asking and surging into a 3-1 lead. “I didn’t know she was a qualifier,” she admitted. “But she had nothing to lose and she started so incredibly fast. I thought, Oh my God, I am going to be down a set here if I’m not careful.”
With a classical, single-handed backhand and a howitzer of a forehand, Gasparyan clearly surprised Serena and delighted the spectators, many of whom might have been resigned to a one-sided match. The 20-year-old Russian, whose right shoulder was taped, showed not the slightest sign of nerves at such a demanding Wimbledon baptism, hit out confidently and although Serena moved into a 4-3 lead it was only after a couple of tight deuce games. Eventually, superior class and experience told and Serena closed out the first set. But it had taken her 47 minutes.
Though she collected only a single game in the second set, Gasparyan regularly stretched Serena to the limit with her battling attitude. Even when she was 5-1 down, one blazing Russian forehand winner had Serena applauding in acknowledgement and with a lead of 3-1 the American found herself three break points down on serve before saving the lot, albeit it with much agonising and fist clenching.
Serving for the match was no stroll, either. Serena again found herself break point down and Gasparyan fended off one match point before a touch of vintage Serena proved too much on the second. The Russian could only managed a blocked, lobbed return of a vicious serve and Serena’s put-away of the offering was ferocious and conclusive. The match had taken an hour and 23 minutes and it had proved a testing one.
“I would be lying if I said I had wanted a hard match,” she admitted. “But at the end of the day it was definitely good for me. In the first set she actually hit more winners than I did.
“Usually I’m really quick and I get to those shots but they were so cleanly hit, there was nothing I could do about them. When you’re young you really have nothing to lose, you just go out there and start swinging. That’s how she played. She did a wonderful job, so I felt it was a really well-contested match.”