Serena Williams on ‘People’s Sunday’ took just 51 minutes to take apart Germany’s Annika Beck to accomplish her 300th Grand Slam win and a spot in week two at Wimbledon.
The defending champion has her eye on a seventh All England Club title and to equal 22 Grand Slams in the Open era. She also found herself back on Centre Court on the first middle Sunday in 12 years.
Williams won 6-3 6-0 a court packed full of spectators expectantly enjoying an extra day’s play following the horrendous week of rain. For the fourth time in history and the first time for over ten years, the play is taking place on the middle Sunday.
The American powerhouse has never faced the 22-year-old Beck, the current world number 43.
Unlike the previous round against Christina McHale, where Williams ability wavered but intern still came away victorious, she made sure she wasn’t put in the same position game.
Beautiful blue clear skies, on Beck who was out of her depth, took charge early on in the match breaking Williams in the third game, but the American calmly took back control and broke back in the next game and ripping out her famous backhand to assume a 4-2 lead.
Blink and you will miss
Then another break of service in the sixth game, banding out a 123 MPH serve – her biggest of the tournament, for a 6-3 first set a win on the board in 32 minutes.
The second set against Beck proved too easy and untroubling for the 34-year-old, as she overwhelmed Beck, breaking the German a staggering three times starting with the first game. The pint-sized Beck had the crowd behind her but it wasn’t enough faced double break down and thunderous forehand winner down the line sealed the set in favour of Williams
Taking absolute control of the second set the six-time champion commanded a 5-0 to serve for the match and in 20 minutes and never dropping a game she had done it, asserted her dominance on the court, as Beck proved powerless to prevent such as heavy loss.
For Williams, it was a 300th career win at a grand slam, moving her six away from Martina Navratilova’s all-time record as she moves on to the fourth round to face number 13 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova who beat Sloane Stephens in three sets.