Murray talks up 'brilliant' Williams after Wimbledon mixed doubles second round win
Andy Murray and Serena Williams are through to the third round of the mixed doubles at Wimbledon after an impressive win over Fabrice Martin & Raquel Atawo.
The centre court crowd were entertained by the formidable partnership featuring two legends of the modern game as they came through the match in straight sets 7-5 6-3.
Williams’ returns in particular caught the eye as the 39-time Grand Slam winner across singles and doubles took control.
Speaking to the BBC after the match, two-time singles champion Murray, returning to SW19 to play doubles after a career-threatening hip injury, heaped praise on his doubles partner.
“She returned brilliant, especially at the end of the first set/beginning of the second - clean winners a lot of the time, making my job easy but I was missing mine on break points.
“Overall we both played well, Serena returned extremely well and if she keeps returning like that we've got a good chance.”
Williams was equally optimistic about the flourishing partnership.
“We are getting in the groove with things already.
“It's good, we have only had a couple of matches but finding some rhythm and hopefully we can continue to feel it.”
Frenchman Martin and his American partner Atawo weren’t about to lie down and allow the two multi-time former singles champions their own way, going serve-for-serve for much of the opening set and saving two set points at 6-5 down.
Williams however, showing little effects of her gruelling three-set singles quarter-final win over Alison Riske earlier in the day, eventually smashed a powerful cross-court winner to take the first set 7-5.
The pair carried the momentum into the second set, breaking their opponents in just the second game to seize an early initiative.
Despite a spirited effort from Martin and Atawo forcing a number of entertaining rallies, Murray and Williams saw out the second set, with the Brit serving an ace to clinch the victory.
Murray and Williams will face number one seeds Bruno Soares of Brazil and American Nicole Melichar in Round three.
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