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London - Five-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams shrugged off her bitter rift with Maria Sharapova to rack up her 32nd successive win with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Luxembourg's Mandy Minella in the first round on Tuesday.
World number one Williams came into her title defence opener at the centre of a storm for her controversial comments on a US high school rape case and for her dig at Sharapova's romance with her own ex-boyfriend, Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov.
The 31-year-old took out her frustrations on the hapless Minella, the world number 92 who has never defeated a top-30 player, let alone one of the calibre of Williams, whose French Open title three weeks ago took her majors haul to 16.
Victory was also her 75th in her last 78 matches, a run that stretches back to her shock first round departure at Roland Garros in 2012, the worst Grand Slam exit of her career.
Tuesday's 32nd successive win took her to within just three of the record set by older sister Venus in 2000.
"I never think about the run, I just treat every match like a new one," said Williams after her 57-minute win.
"It was special coming out as defending champion.
"I played great and I have some great memories."
Williams did not concede a single point on her serve in the first set but Minella, playing in only her eighth Grand Slam compared to the American's 52nd, at least had the consolation of breaking her opponent's serve for a 2-0 lead in the second set.
But she couldn't capitalise on that slim opening and Williams roared back, finishing the match with 25 winners to Minella's five.
Williams goes on to face French qualifier Caroline Garcia, who she beat in the second round in Paris, for a place in the last 32.
Results from the second day at Wimbledon (x denotes seeded player):Men's singles:
First round:
Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Florian Mayer (GER) 6-3, 7-5, 6-4
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Blaz Kavcic (SLO) 6-4, 6-1, 6-3
Jrmy Chardy (FRA x28) bt Ryan Harrison (USA) 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
Jimmy Wang (TPE) bt Wayne Odesnik (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5
Tommy Haas (GER x13) bt Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 6-3, 7-5, 7-5
Go Soeda (JPN) bt Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) 7-6 (8/6), 7-5, 6-1
James Blake (USA) bt Thiemo de Bakker (NED) 6-1, 6-3, 6-2
Bernard Tomic (AUS) bt Sam Querrey (USA x21) 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 2-6, 6-3
Kevin Anderson (RSA x27) bt Olivier Rochus (BEL) 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
Michal Przysiezny (POL) bt Philipp Petzschner (GER) 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), 6-0
Roberto Bautista (ESP) bt Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)
Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR x26) bt Gasto Elias (POR) 6-1, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2
Milos Raonic (CAN x17) bt Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
Igor Sijsling (NED) bt Alex Kuznetsov (USA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Denis Kudla (USA) bt James Duckworth (AUS) 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1
Ivan Dodig (CRO) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x16) 4-6, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 2-1 - retired
Kei Nishikori (JPN x12) bt Matthew Ebden (AUS) 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
Leonardo Mayer (ARG) bt Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Michael Llodra (FRA) bt Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-3
Andreas Seppi (ITA x23) bt Denis Istomin (UZB) 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 3-6, 6-3
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x29) bt Simone Bolelli (ITA) 6-1, 6-4, 6-3
Jesse Levine (CAN) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 4-3 - retired
Juan Martn Del Potro (ARG x8) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 6-2, 7-5, 6-1
Women's singles:
First round:
Serena Williams (USA x1) bt Mandy Minella (LUX) 6-1, 6-3
Caroline Garcia (FRA) bt Zheng Jie (CHN) 6-3, 6-4
Kimiko Date Krumm (JPN) bt Carina Witthoeft (GER) 6-0, 6-2
Alexandra Cadantu (ROM) bt Tamira Paszek (AUT x28) 6-2, 7-5
Olga Puchkova (RUS) bt Arantxa Rus (NED) 6-4, 6-2
Samantha Stosur (AUS x14) bt Anna Schmiedlov (SVK) 6-1, 6-3
Laura Robson (GBR) bt Maria Kirilenko (RUS x10) 6-3, 6-4
Mariana Duque (COL) bt Julia Grges (GER) 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 7-5
Marina Erakovic (NZL) bt Ayumi Morita (JPN) 4-6, 6-0, 7-5
Peng Shuai (CHN x24) bt Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 6-3, 6-2
Alison Riske (USA) bt Romina Oprandi (SUI x31) 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 3-1 - retired
Urszula Radwanska (POL) bt Mallory Burdette (USA) 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-2
Angelique Kerber (GER x7) bt Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 6-3, 6-4
Madison Keys (USA) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 6-3, 7-5
Mona Barthel (GER x30) bt Monica Niculescu (ROM) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
Roberta Vinci (ITA x11) bt Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 6-2, 6-1
Jana Cepelov (SVK) bt Kristna Plskov (CZE) 6-4, 6-1
Mara Teresa Torr (ESP) bt Irina Begu (ROM) 6-3, 6-4
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x18) bt Maria Elena Camerin (ITA) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Simona Halep (ROM) bt Olga Govortsova (BLR) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
Li Na (CHN x6) bt Michalla Krajicek (NED) 6-1, 6-1
