Venus rising after battling opener

VENUS WILLIAMS was made to fight for the first set of her Wimbledon campaign despite a blistering start against Paraguay’s Rossana de los Rios at SW19 yesterday.

Perhaps mindful of the fading light, Williams sped to a 5-0 lead after 15 minutes before recovering from a mid-set slump to claim it 6-3.

The second seed faced a long wait for action on Court One but her focus remained firmly intact as she began the match at 7.26pm with an ace before continuing to serve viciously during a first game in which her opponent failed to land a shot in the court.