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The most dominant women's tennis player on the planet easily defeated Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-2, 6-0 to advance to the fourth round at the All England Club.
Wimbledon's official Twitter noted how both players were chasing milestones in career victories, but it was Williams who emerged with her 600th—201 more than that of her opponent:
It was remarkable that Date-Krumm could hold the same court as Williams; the Japan native showed she could still be a factor at a Grand Slam even at the age of 42. Date-Krumm was the oldest woman to ever compete in Wimbledon's third round.
However, the outcome was never in any doubt—and Williams certainly wasn't short on confidence prior to the match:
Even when Date-Krumm broke Williams at 5-1 in the first set, there was little suspense to be had. After all, once the defending champion Williams takes the opening set, opponents might as well lay down, as ESPN Tennis points out:
Date-Krumm was no match for the pummeling prowess of Williams. A telling statistic was the average speed of each woman's first serve. While Date-Krumm hovered at 88 miles per hour, Williams was at 103, with a best of 116.
Williams' masterful final set featured just two total points lost in her service games, while Date-Krumm managed to win only four of 15 games in which her first serve was in play. At some point, it just has to be frustrating playing against such a force like Williams, and that was visibly on display during one of the changeovers:
Breaking Williams' serve was an achievement in and of itself for Date-Krumm. Yet despite relatively aggressive tactics and frequent charges to the net, Williams' superiority was insurmountable. When she failed to capitalize on her first match point up 40-30 on Date-Krumm's serve, Williams let out a yell when her forehand sailed wide of the baseline.
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It showcased her characteristic razor-sharp focus, and she closed things out with a beautiful backhand over a net-seeking Date-Krumm with the advantage in the deuce game. ESPN's telecast noted this was Williams' 34th consecutive win.
No. 23 seed Sabine Lisicki awaits Williams in the fourth round, courtesy of her victory over the 14th-seeded Samantha Stosur.
Lisicki bounced back after dropping the opening set to Stosur. Williams, meanwhile, has not even been in any remote danger of losing a set. Very few—if any—obstacles are likely to stand in the way of Serena Williams and a sixth Wimbledon singles title.
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