Wimbledon 2013: Williams Beats Minella 6-1, 6-3, Through to the Second Round.

Serena Williams eased into the second round of Wimbledon 2013, beating Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella 6-1, 6-3 to begin the defence of her Wimbledon crown.

92nd seed, Minella claimed a break in game two of the second set only for the five-time champion to win six straight games, wrapping up victory in 57 minutes.

Williams, a sixteen-time Grand Slam champion, came into Tuesday’s match after her triumph at Roland Garros and feels the transition wasn’t quite as easy as expected.

“I played so much on clay this year it meant the grass transition was harder than I expected.”

The victory also extended her winning streak to 32 matches.

“It was really special coming out as defending champ,” Williams, 31, added. “Winning here last year was a great moment for me, but also winning the Olympics here means it’s really special.

“I never think about what happened in the past, I just think about what’s to come when I step out on court.”

Sixth seed Li Na defeated Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-1, while 14th seed Samantha Stosur of Austrailia eased past Anna Karolina Schmiedlova with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph.

There were also victories for 30th seed Mona Barthel, who beat Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, and 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm, who was a 6-0, 6-2 winner over Carina Witthoeft of Germany.