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London - Five-time champion Venus Williams battled into the Wimbledon third round with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 win over Romanian qualifier Alexandra Dulgheru, while Roger Federer and Serena Williams prepared to take centre stage on Wednesday.
Venus reached her ninth Wimbledon final last year, but the American star was denied a sixth title by Garbine Muguruza.
She returned to the All England Club stuck in a rut after losing in the first round of both the Australian and French Opens this year.
Making her 21st Wimbledon appearance, 38-year-old Venus is the oldest woman in this year's tournament and the world number nine looked her age during a sloppy opening set of her first round against Johanna Larsson.
But she hit back to clinch her 88th Wimbledon singles win and it was the same script as she made it 89 by recovering from a poor first set to demolish Dulgheru.
Asked if her wealth of Wimbledon experience was a key factor, Venus said: "I'd love to have that extra advantage. If that's working for me I'm all for it.
"It's just about winning the match. If that's your best or not doesn't matter."
Venus faces Dutch 20th seed Kiki Bertens or Russian world number 107 Anna Blinkova in the third round.
Milos Raonic slammed 34 aces as the 2016 Wimbledon finalist won 7-6 (7/4, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4) against Australia's John Millman.
The Canadian 13th seed will play Austrian qualifier Dennis Novak, who beat French 17th seed Lucas Pouille 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (8/10), 3-6, 6-2.
Sam Querrey, the 11th seed, stepped up his bid to emulate last year's run to the semi-finals with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-3 win against Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky.
Querrey's fellow American Madison Keys, seeded 10th, celebrated US Independence Day with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Thailand's Luksika Kumkhum.
Croatian world number 55 Donna Vekic followed up her shock success against fourth seed Sloane Stephens with a 7-5, 6-4 victory against Sweden's Rebecca Peterson.
Romanian 29th seed Mihaela Buzarnescu thrashed British teenager Katie Swan, 6-0, 6-3 to extend her remarkable renaissance.
The 30-year-old took several years off due to shoulder and knee injuries, a break that allowed her to earn a Phd in sports science.
A year ago, Buzarnescu was ranked 213 and lost in Wimbledon qualifying -- yet now she will face Czech seventh seed Karolina Pliskova for a place in the last 16.
Former world number one Pliskova has finally made it to the third round on her seventh visit to Wimbledon after seeing off two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court.
Later on Wednesday, Federer will continue his bid for a ninth Wimbledon title when the defending champion faces Slovakian world number 73 Lukas Lacko.
Federer, who has won his last 22 sets on Centre Court, has taken all six sets in his previous meetings with Lacko.
Federer was at his stylish best as the defending champion dismissed Serbia's Dusan Lajovic with ease in the first round on Monday.
Bidding to win her first Grand Slam title since becoming a mother in September, seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena faces Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova.
The former world number one's serve wasn't working at full capacity in her first round win over Arantxa Rus after a pectoral injury forced her out of last month's French Open.
But Serena was still able to extend her winning run at Wimbledon to 15 matches -- a streak that encompasses her 2015 and 2016 titles.
While Williams made her Wimbledon debut 20 years ago and has reached nine All England Club finals, Tomova is playing the main draw for the first time.
World number 135 Tomova, 23, scored her first Grand Slam win in the opening round on Monday.
Also in action on Wednesday, Croatian third seed Marin Cilic, last year's Wimbledon runner-up, plays Argentina's Guido Pella.
World number two Caroline Wozniacki, the reigning Australian Open champion, takes on Russia's Ekaterina Makarova.
Wimbledon results on Wednesday, the third day of the 2018 championships (x denotes seeded player):
Men
Second round
Roger Federer (SUI x1) bt Lukas Lacko (SVK) 6-4, 6-4, 6-1
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 6-7 (5/7), 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4), 13-11
Adrian Mannarino (FRA x22) bt Ryan Harrison (USA) 7-5, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4)
Daniil Medvedev (RUS) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Sam Querrey (USA x11) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-3
Gael Monfils (FRA) bt Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/3)
Mackenzie McDonald (USA) bt Nicolas Jarry (CHI) 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 3-6, 6-2, 11-9
Dennis Novak (AUT) bt Lucas Pouille (FRA x17) 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (8/10), 3-6, 6-2
Milos Raonic (CAN x13) bt John Millman (AUS) 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4)
Radu Albot (MDA) bt Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-3
Women
Second round
Karolina Pliskova (CZE x7) bt Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 6-3, 6-3
Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROM x29) bt Katie Swan (GBR) 6-0, 6-3
Kiki Bertens (NED x20) bt Anna Blinkova (RUS) 6-4, 6-0
Venus Williams (USA x9) bt Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU) 4-6, 6-0, 6-1
Julia Goerges (GER x13) bt Vera Lapko (BLR) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 6-4, 6-3
Donna Vekic (CRO) bt Rebecca Peterson (SWE) 7-5, 6-4
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) bt Tatjana Maria (GER) 6-2, 6-2
Serena Williams (USA x25) bt Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) 6-1, 6-4
Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROM) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
Madison Keys (USA x10) bt Luksika Kumkhum (THA) 6-4, 6-3
Camila Giorgi (ITA) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-4, 6-4
Lucie Safarova (CZE) bt Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x32) 7-5, 6-4
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) bt Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x2) 6-4, 1-6, 7-5
