London, June 26: Fourth seed Roger Federer of Switzerland battled with a swirling breeze before overcoming Austria's Stefan Koubek 7-5 6-1 6-1 in a rain-interrupted encounter in the second round at Wimbledon on Wednesday (June 25). The 21-year-old Swiss initially struggled to adjust to the conditions on Centre Court and the left-handed Koubek pummelled winners from the baseline to grab a 5-2 lead in the first set after just 18 minutes. But when Koubek attempted to serve for the set two games later, he was broken by the pony-tailed Federer after slapping the ball into net on break point. Having saved a set point against him in the 10th game, when Koubek's thundering forehand fell over the baseline, Federer bagged the set 7-5 with a sublime volley winner. With his game back on track, Federer refused to let a 30-minute rain break ruin his concentration and steamrollered his hapless opponent in the next two sets to chalk up his seventh consecutive victory on grass this month. The Halle winner will face American Mardy Fish for a place in the last 16.



Twice Wimbledon champion Venus Williams of the United States, showing no signs of the abdominal injury that bedevilled her in Paris, swept into the third round on Wednesday with a 6-4 6-1 victory over Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik.


Williams, a notoriously slow starter, was held to 3-3 in the first set but then effortlessly stepped up a gear to break Srebotnik's service.


The Slovenian's resistance crumbled in the second set and it took Williams just over an hour to ease through to a smooth victory.

Bureau Report