Friday 1 July 2016 21:41, UK
Serena and Venus Williams came through tough battles on Friday to maintain their challenge at a wet and windy Wimbledon.
Top seed Serena was taken to three sets by fellow American Christina McHale in their second round encounter, while Venus had to go into extra games to see off the challenge of Daria Kasatkina in the third round.
Serena trailed early in her clash with McHale before the rain arrived and forced organisers to cover Centre Court, and although McHale would have her service broken she was able to take the first set in a tense tie-break.
The world No 1, who also had a temper tantrum in the first set, found her form early in the second and claimed an early break on her way to levelling the match.
But McHale was a doughty opponent and threatened a surprise victory when she broke Serena early in the decider, only for Williams to break back.
The match turned in the ninth game, when Serena broke McHale's service again, and she sent down a series of aces in what turned out to be the final game of the match to secure victory.
After a 6-7 6-2 6-4 victory, Serena will take on Germany's Annika Beck for a place in the last-16 - she beat Aliaksandra Sasanovich of Belarus 6-2 6-1 to progress.
"I know mentally no one can break me, it takes a lot to break me mentally," she said. "I know that down a break in the third I was going to have to put my mind to it, and that's what I did."
Williams also expects to be fined for smashing her racquet into the turf five times at the end of the first set and then throwing it, hitting a television cameraman.
"It's definitely a fine," she said. "I was just really, really, really angry. I had a lot of chances (to win the first set).
"She got really lucky on some shots. She just was playing great. I was a little disappointed in myself at that point. I've cracked a number of racquets throughout my career. I've gotten fined a number of times for cracking racquets.
"In fact, I look at it like I didn't crack one at the French Open or Rome, so I was doing really good. I don't want to go too long without cracking a racquet."
Venus is already in the fourth round, but she spent even longer on court in her 7-5 4-6 10-8 win over 29th seeded Kasatkina.
The Russian teenager battled back from losing a tight opening set to level the match, but Williams had a match point at 7-6 up in the finale when a rain delay was called.
After a 75-minute break, Kasatkina returned to save the match point and forced Williams into a handful more games before she was finally able to secure her place in the next round.
"I'm not sure I've ever played a 10-8 set. That was pretty intense. All you can think is 'hold serve'. Easier said than done," Venus said.
"When we came off on match point, it was like something out of a movie. But she was inspired - that was as much as a problem as the rain."
She will face Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro for a place in the quarter-finals after the Spaniard beat New Zealand's Marina Erakovic 6-2 6-2.
