TENNIS in DEPTH.

Bulgarian Pironkova was the surprise package in last year’s tournament, reaching the semi-finals where she was knocked out by Russian Zvonareva. But the 32nd seed avenged that defeat as Zvonareva’s game crumbled on Court Two, with 18 unforced errors.

Five-time Wimbledon champion Williams was in equally impressive form, sweeping aside Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-0 6-2, setting up a fourth-round tie against Pironkova.

Ninth seed Marion Bartoli survived three match points to beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino 4-6 7-5 6-2. The unseeded Spaniard, ranked 48th in the world, served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but Bartoli, who lost to Venus Williams in the 2007 Wimbledon final, displayed impressive resilience to level the match and break her opponent’s serve in the next game before levelling. And she sealed victory with a commanding performance in the final set to set up a third-round match against Italy’s 21st seed Flavia Pennetta.

In the third round, former French and US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 12th seed, suffered a 4-6 6-3 6-4 defeat by Belgium’s 19th seed Carolina Wickmayer. Former world number three Nadia Petrova, unseeded at SW19, also advanced into the next round following a 6-3 6-2 win over Kateryna Bondarenko.

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