WIMBLEDON Date: 22 June - 5 July Coverage: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC HD, Red Button, website streaming (UK only) and text commentary, 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC iPlayer Tennis on the BBC
By Chris Bevan BBC Sport at Wimbledon
Serena celebrates after booking her place in the fourth round
Serena Williams overcame a late wobble against Roberta Vinci to win 6-3 6-4 and reach the last 16 at Wimbledon.
The second seed, champion in 2002 and 2003, was surprisingly asked to play on the new Court Two but the unfamiliar surroundings did not affect her game.
Vinci, the world number 53 from Italy, battled gamely but simply did not have the weapons to keep Williams at bay.
Some unforced errors at 4-1 in the second set held up Williams' charge but she steadied herself to seal victory.
Playing on the outside courts is something Williams has had to get used to in recent years and she insisted playing on the smaller stage did not bother her.
"I always played on [the old] Court Two anyway," she said afterwards. "It's not a court for Roger Federer but it's a court for me - but then he has won five titles, I guess two are not enough.
"I enjoyed myself. The court had a challenge system and it worked for me. I could also get far more involved with the crowd, and I liked it."
Williams, who lost to her sister Venus in last year's final, will play unseeded Daniela Hantuchova in the fourth round, after the Slovakian beat her doubles partner Ai Sugiyama in straight sets.
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She is unlikely to find it as easy against Hantuchova as she did against Vinci, with her biggest hiccup being her late arrival that kept her opponent waiting on court for almost 10 minutes past the intended start time of midday.
Williams said the delay was not deliberate, explaining: "I thought someone was coming to get me. I was warming up and waiting but nobody did.
"I didn't know what to do, so in the end I just walked out there on my own."
Once play began, the American was immediately into her stride, holding serve to love, then breaking Vinci with some rasping winners from either flank.
She stumbled in the next game, allowing Vinci to break back, but quickly rediscovered her range with her thumping groundstrokes to move 3-1 ahead and from then on the first set was a formality
Williams kept up the pressure and it appeared she would quickly wrap things up when she broke twice in the second set to move 4-1 ahead.
But for the first time, errors began to creep into her game and Vinci took advantage, using her drop shot to good effect and forcing Williams to work harder for her win.
The end for Vinci eventually came after an hour and seven minutes, with Williams finishing the match in the same way she began it - with an ace.
It was a useful work-out for the two-time champion, who showed signs she is close to finding her best form ahead of the second week at SW19.
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