IT’S a good job Serena Williams doesn’t take offence or, more importantly, she doesn’t take offence publicly.
However, you could sense that the two-time champion and second seed wasn’t happy about being posted on Wimbledon’s new court two.
The old court two, which is now confusingly the new court three, was known as the graveyards of seeds, an SW19 outpost where big-name promise was often bettered by underdog potential.
Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi and Martina Hingis all lost in their prime on court two, while Pete Sampras even played his last Wimbledon match there, when he was beaten by world number 147 George Bastl, and whatever happened to him?
In truth, the sparkly new court two lacks the slightly run-down charm of the old place but, for Williams at least, it is no longer quite so unlucky.
She was six minutes late for her third-round match with Italian Roberta Vinci and she needed just one hour and seven minutes to advance 6-3, 6-4.
“I was waiting for someone in the locker room to escort me but they didn’t come,” said Williams, who has dropped just 15 games in her progress to the last 16.
“I’m just happy to have won and I’ve no problem with court two, I play there a lot.
“It’s not a court for Roger Federer but it is definitely the court for me. But I haven’t won Wimbledon five times. I guess winning twice is not enough.
“However, I like the new court. It worked for me.”
Vinci put up a spirited challenge but it becomes a little soul destroying when every return comes fizzing back across the net.
She was simply outmuscled and outsmarted by an opponent playing several levels above her. With the exception of sister Venus, it’s hard to see anyone giving Serena a match next week.
However, next opponent, former world number five Daniela Hantuchova, is enjoying quiet progress through Wimbledon and reaching the fourth round is her best Grand Slam performance in two years.
But she admitted she struggled against close friend and doubles partner Ai Sugiyama, winning 6-3, 6-4.
“It is such a nice feeling to get through to the second week. It was hard because Sugi is a great friend of mine and we have a great history together in the doubles,” she said.
“I knew it would be a tough match and it was a strange feeling. But I just had to think about it as just another match.
“I’ve already said sorry to her and it felt a bit strange warming up with her – I had to make sure I didn’t sit next to her on court!
“Serena will be a tough ask and I know I’ll have to bring my best game because she is one of the best players in history.
“It’s always a tough match when you play Serena. She always gives her best and makes it really hard for you to score points and win games.”
Hantuchova, from Slovakia, has been struggling with flu this week but will have the weekend to fully recover for her fourth-round match against Williams, against whom she has already lost twice at Wimbledon.
Fourth seed Elena Dementieva needed just 59 minutes to book her place in the last 16 by thrashing fellow Russian Regina Kulikova 6-1 6-2.
Dementieva’s next opponent will be another Russian, Elena Vesnina, who gained a 7-5 4-6 6-4 win over 14th seed Dominika Cibulkova, of Slovakia.
Tenth seed Nadia Petrova came from a set and a break down to complete a third successive win over Argentina’s Gisela Dulko, the secondround conqueror of Maria Sharapova.
Petrova managed to convert just three of 14 break points but prevailed 3-6 6-3 6-4 to earn a meeting with eighth seed Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, who gained a 7-5 6-3 victory over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.
France’s Virginie Razzano was given a free passage through to the fourth round when seventh seed Vera Zvonareva pulled out with an ankle injury.
Russian Zvonareva has already missed two months of the season with damaged ankle ligaments.
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