Five-times champion Serena Williams ticked off her first Wimbledon 2013 opponent in less than an hour on Tuesday,opening her title defence with a 6-1 6-3 thrashing of Luxembourg's Mandy Minella. The American world number one,who rattled through the first set on Centre Court in 19 minutes,stretched her unbeaten run to 32 matches. Williams,playing her first match since winning the French Open a fortnight ago,was given a brief fright at the start of the second set when she lost her serve to go 2-0 down,hitting a double fault on break point. The 16-times grand-slam winner swiftly regained control,however,breaking in the next game when Minella,too,double faulted. Minella,ranked 92nd in the world and who has never won a WTA singles title,drew warm and sympathetic applause from the crowd whenever she managed to steal a point off Williams but could do little in the face of the American's power. The top-seeded Williams blew one match point when she mis-hit a forehand high into the sky but she wrapped up the win in 57 minutes at the second chance,when Minella put a forehand long. Minella,whose supporters in the crowd included her 86-year-old grandfather Carletto,swiftly gathered her belongings and walked off court,not waiting for Williams. The 31-year-old Williams will face France's Caroline Garcia in the second round.
