After another slow start, Serena Williams got her grass-court game back on track.
The two-time champion rallied from 4-1 down in the first set and beat Australia’s Alicia Molik 7-6 (4), 6-3 on Wednesday to reach the third round of Wimbledon on another day of rain delays at the All England Club.
“I just got really angry,” Williams said. “I thought it was unfair that I got down so far. I was like, OK, it’s just one break. But 4-1 looks worse than one break.”
Williams, who also struggled in the first set of her opening-round win Monday over Lourdes Dominguez Lino, fell behind again early against Molik in windy conditions on Court 1. But she finally got her power game going and finished with 10 aces and 35 winners to 18 errors.
“I’m playing OK,” said Williams, who rated her performance six out of 10, compared to two out of 10 for the first round. “I actually don’t think I’m playing that great, no.”
Williams, who was affected by a tight hamstring in her first match, said she experienced no problems Wednesday.
“Not at all,” she said. “Not today. I was feeling better. Don’t jinx me.”
Williams showed lots of emotion during the match as her sister, Venus, and parents watched from the stands.
“The angry Serena is very crazy to say the least,” she said. “Sometimes she comes out.”
The turning point came in the tiebreaker with Molik leading 4-2. The Australian made groundstroke errors on the next four points and Williams pounded a 121 mph ace down the middle to close out the set — punctuated by a fist pump and scream of “Come on!”
The match ended in bizarre circumstances on Williams’ third match point in the final game. A line judge called Molik’s shot wide, but the two continued playing until Williams hit a winning forehand volley.
The players approached the net to congratulate each other, but Molik was allowed to challenge the line judge’s call. The new “Hawk-Eye” replay system showed the ball was out. The two smiled, and Williams saluted the crowd.
Williams said she didn’t mind that Molik contested the call.
“I told her, `You may as well. I would have challenged it, too. I’m not upset. I’m not going to hold it against you,”‘ Williams said. “She was like, `OK.”‘