Williams set to begin defence

Venus Williams will begin the defence of her Wimbledon crown on Centre Court later today – while world number one Amelie Mauresmo is also in action for the first time as she prepares for an opening match on the “graveyard of champions”.

Following the rain-interrupted first day, second seed Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin-Hardenne and former champion Martina Hingis all face the prospect of a second match inside 24 hours at the All England Club.

But all eyes will be on Centre Court for the scheduled 1pm start when Williams, 26, takes on fellow American Bettie Mattek.

The paparazzi will be trained on Court One where Russian Maria Sharapova – the 19-year-old 2004 champion – takes on Anna Smashnova, of Israel.

Top seed Mauresmo won the Australian Open in January but disappointed in her home Grand Slam at Roland Garros and will be out to go one better than last year when she reached the semi-finals here.

The Frenchwoman will be taking nothing for granted against Croatian Ivana Abramovic on Court Two, the scene of so many famous defeats for top players in the past.

Elsewhere, Clijsters is the third match on Centre Court.

The Belgian number two seed, in the bottom half of the draw, will meet Ukraine’s Viktoria Kutuzova after she brushed off the challenge of Russian Vera Zvonareva in straight sets on Court One in a match which was finished yesterday following Monday’s rain.

Hingis, the champion here in 1997, will face Tathiana Garbin in round two after the Italian dispatched Britain’s Katie O’Brien in three sets yesterday.

“It has been a while and it was nice to be back,” said 25-year-old Hingis, who is continuing her return after a three-year lay-off because of foot and ankle injuries and dispatched Ukrainian Olga Savchuk 6-2 6-2.

Henin-Hardenne, meanwhile, faces something of a wait because she is not scheduled to play Russia’s Ekaterina Bychkova on Court Two until the fifth match.

Many feel the Belgian is hitting form at just the right time to make a strong challenge for her first Wimbledon crown.

The French Open champion began her bid for the only Grand Slam title she has yet to win with a comprehensive 6-0 6-1 win over teenager Meng Yuan, of China, on Centre Court yesterday.

It was a fine display from the 2001 Wimbledon finalist, who has battled back to top form following an energy-sapping viral infection which threatened her career.

The 24-year-old won the Hastings Direct Championships on grass at Eastbourne last week but is not expecting an easy ride to the final at SW19.

The Belgian said: “It is very hard to say this player is dominating the tour and she is favourite for this tournament.

“Right now, it is very hard to say this is the player to beat – so that is good for everyone.”