Kvitova into second round

London - Defending champion Petra Kvitova reached the Wimbledon second round on Tuesday with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan, but only after surviving an early struggle.

The Czech, who became the first woman born in the 1990s to win a major when she beat Maria Sharapova in the 2011 final, fought back from 3-0 and 4-1 down in the first set before seeing off Amanmuradova, who has now lost all her five first round appearances here.

Once Kvitova had reeled off seven successive games to take the first set and lead 2-0 in the second, the 22-year-old was comfortably in control, managing to shrug off a brief rain delay at 40-40 at 5-3 in the second set.

"It's unbelievable to come back as defending champion," said Kvitova, who started her 2011 title-winning campaign out on Court 15.

"I was nervous at the start. On grass you never know what to expect from me."

World No 4 Kvitova will now face either Italy's Karin Knapp or Elena Baltacha for a place in the last 32.