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WIMBLEDON, England — While watching Serena Williams come from behind at Wimbledon, older sister Venus sat in the front row stifling a yawn.
Nothing to worry about.
Venus was correct, but barely. Serena hit a Wimbledon-record 23 aces, held every service game and narrowly escaped an upset bid by Zheng Jie, winning 6-7 (5), 6-2, 9-7 in the third round yesterday.
Williams, who erased all six break points she faced, served three times to stay in the match and held each time at love. She was pushed to deuce serving in the final game but closed out the victory with a volley winner, then hopped in glee on the Centre Court grass.
“I just wanted to get through that match,” Williams said. “The last thing I wanted to do was lose.”
Williams has been stalled at 13 Grand Slam titles since winning Wimbledon for the fourth time in 2010, and dealt with a series of health issues in 2010-11.
Her next opponent will be unseeded Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan, who won all 24 points in the first set — a so-called “golden set” — and beat French Open runner-up Sara Errani 6-0, 6-4. It’s the first known golden set by a woman in the Open era, the International Tennis Federation said, and the BBC showed a highlight package of all 24 points.
Williams will face Shvedova tomorrow.
Defending champion Petra Kvitova, No. 2-ranked Victoria Azarenka and former French Open champions Ana Ivanovic and Francesca Schiavone also reached the fourth round.
Three-time runner-up Andy Roddick failed to convert two set points in the second set and lost to No. 7-seeded David Ferrer 2-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4, 6-3. Fellow American Mardy Fish, playing in his first tournament since undergoing a procedure on his heart in May, beat David Goffin 6-3, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6).
No. 4-seed Andy Murray beat Marcos Baghdatis 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 to set off a raucous cheer from the home crowd. Murray is trying to become the first Briton to win at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.
No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga swept Lukas Lacko 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 and next faces Fish.