Australia's Lleyton Hewitt stunned Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 on Thursday to reach the Wimbledon third round. Hewitt, the 2004 champion, will face either Philipp Petzschner or Mischa Zverev, both of Germany, for a place in the last 16.
The Australian 28-year-old, whose ranking has slipped to 56 following hip surgery, confidently ended the hopes of the 20-year-old Argentine who had been tipped as a strong outsider in the half of the draw missing defending champion Rafael Nadal. His Centre Court win meant so much to him that he collapsed to his knees in celebration at the end.
"I haven't beaten a top five player for a long time," said Hewitt. "I was really up for it today. When you have played a final on Centre Court you should be able to handle the pressure but I knew that Juan Martin is a helluva player. "I had a game plan and I executed it really well."
VENUS COY OVER WOUNDED KNEE Venus Williams was coy about the severity of her knee injury after the defending champion breezed into the third round at Wimbledon with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Kateryna Bondarenko on Thursday. Williams, the third seed, arrived on Court One with her left knee in a substantial strapping.
But it didn't cause the American major problems as she kept alive her bid to become the first woman to win a hat-trick of Wimbledon singles' titles since Steffi Graf claimed three in a row from 1991 to 1993. Venus, who faces Spanish world number 34 Carla Suarez Navarro next, refused to reveal the extent of the injury and how she got it. Instead she insisted that the bandages were only there for knee support.
"I felt really comfortable in the strap. It was just for support. That's all," Williams said. "I really hate tape but I just needed it this time. I accepted that and I realise that this is Wimbledon. "I wore it in the match. I'll be wearing it in doubles, too. So it's working out." In the 12 months since she was crowned champion at the All England Club for the fifth time, after brushing aside sister Serena in the final, Venus has produced some underwhelming performances on the WTA Tour.
LI INTO THIRD ROUND Chinese number 19 seed Li Na made it through to the third round at Wimbledon with a straight sets victory over Belarusian world number 82 Olga Govortsova on Thursday. The Chinese number two notched up a 6-4, 6-2 victory on Court 7, sealing victory with a passing shot down the line. Li faces Agnieszka Radwanska in the third round. The Polish number 11 seed knocked out the Chinese number three Peng Shuai in the second round.
SAFINA INTO THIRD ROUND Top seed Dinara Safina made the Wimbledon third round on Thursday with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Paraguay's Rossana De Los Rios. The Russian will face either Elena Baltacha or Kirsten Flipkens for a place in the last 16.
PENG EDGED OUT China's Peng Shuai was narrowly beaten by Polish number 11 seed Agnieszka Radwanska in a thrilling second round match at Wimbledon on Thursday. The Chinese number three lost 6-2, 6-7 (7/6), 9-7 in a three-hour clash on Court 14, but showed plenty of guts and determination throughout.
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