LONDON, July 10 (Xinhua) -- After a flying start in the first round of the 2019 Wimbledon mixed doubles, Andy Murray and Serena Williams defeated 14th seeds Fabrice Martin of France and the U.S.'s Raquel Atawo 7-5, 6-3 in the second round on Tuesday.
Even before the game, the "SerAndy" pairing had attracted widespread attention, with the duo boasting 26 grand slam singles titles between them. And they have so far lived up to people's high expectations, beating Germany's Andreas Mies and Alexa Guarachi of Chile 6-4, 6-1 in the first round.
32-year-old Murray and 37-year-old Williams have both been troubled by injuries in the past few years. Murray underwent surgery earlier this year on a recurring hip injury, while Williams has been struggling with knee and ankle problems ever since the French Open.
In their second round match, Williams made a good start, later hitting a lofted forehand stroke to secure the set in game 12.
Opportunities came more often in the second set, with Williams making what she called a once-in-a-lifetime hit, and later hitting a timely volley to push the game to match point, which Murray duly converted with an ace.
