Murray outclasses dangerous Brown
Defending champion Andy Murray outclassed German maverick Dustin Brown 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in an entertaining match of exhibition style shots on Wednesday to maintain his record of always having reached at least round three at Wimbledon.
Brown, ranked 97th in the world, was a potentially tricky opponent having beaten twice champion Rafa Nadal in the second round in 2015.
Despite being moved around the court by a barrage of drop shots and lobs from Brown, world number one Murray only rarely showed signs of the sore hip that had been troubling him and he gave as good as he got - but with more accuracy and control.
The top seed's win was greeted by huge cheers from the home crowd who are hoping to see the 30-year-old twice champion become the first British player to retain a Grand Slam title since Fred Perry in the 1930s.
Kvitova knocked out by American Brengle
Two-times Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was knocked out in the second round by 95th ranked American Madison Brengle.
Brengle triumphed 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 to defeat the Czech who won at the All England Club in 2011 and 2014.
Kvitova was playing only her third event of the year after recovering from a knife attack at her home in December.
The Czech won a warm-up tournament in Birmingham last month after making her return to tennis at the French Open.
Ostapenko stems errors in time to advance
French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko battled her misfiring game and stubborn qualifier Francoise Abanda before securing a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 win to reach the Wimbledon third round on Wednesday.
For the second match running the 13th seed's level fluctuated wildly but she finally made her extra firepower count to see off the Canadian as darkness descended on Court 12.
Fans could have been excused for wondering what all the fuss was about as Ostapenko, who blazed to the Roland Garros title last month, flailed forehands high and wide in a scrappy first set against her fellow 20-year-old.
The Latvian was three points from defeat in the second set tiebreak but world number 142 Abanda wavered with a nervy double-fault and Ostapenko seized her chance to level the match.
Yet more unforced errors handed Abanda a 2-0 lead in the deciding set but a fired-up Ostapenko won six of the last seven games to move through to a clash with unseeded Italian Camila Giorgi who knocked out big-hitting American Madison Keys.
Venus keeps Williams flag flying but struggles
Venus Williams continued to fly the family flag in the absence of her sister and reigning Wimbledon champion Serena but suffered a scare against China's 55th-ranked Qiang Wang in the second round on Wednesday.
The 37-year-old American, bidding for a sixth Wimbledon title, made a slow start but hit back to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 on a warm and sultry Court One.
Her opponent, playing only her fourth singles match at Wimbledon compared to the 97 contested by Williams, was threatening a shock when she had break points at 3-3 in the second set against the misfiring 10th seed.
But Williams used her experience to steady the ship and levelled the match with a backhand pass before running away with the decider to book a third-round match against Japan's Naomi Osaka.
Williams, one of only two former champions in the women's draw, came to Wimbledon under a cloud after being involved in a road traffic accident last month in Florida which resulted in the death of a 78-year-old man.
Her sister Serena, who she lost to in this year's Australian Open final, is absent because she is expecting a baby.
Konta pulls out the stops to battle past Vekic
Britain's Johanna Konta pulled out all the stops to win an enthralling, marathon, second round contest on Wednesday with Croatia Donna Vekic 7-6(4), 4-6, 10-8.
In one of the best matches of the tournament so far, which lasted 3 hours 10 minutes, Vekic's resilience kept her constantly in with a chance of an upset but Konta's big serve frequently pulled her out of trouble.
Vekic, ranked 58th in the world beat Konta in the final of the recent WTA tournament in Nottingham.
Konta, looking to be the first British woman to win the Wimbledon singles since Virginia Wade in 1977, will next face Greece's Maria Sakkari in the third round.
Watson soars into Round 3
Heather Watson hammered out a statement of intent at Wimbledon on Wednesday, swiping aside 18th seed Anastasija Sevastova 6-0, 6-4 to reach the third round.
On a roasting Court Two, the Briton was in the hottest of form in the first set, bashing big forehand winners past her Latvian opponent to clinch it in less than 20 minutes.
Although Sevastova stabilised in the second set, twice going a break ahead, she was unable to arrest the Briton's momentum as Watson became the first player -- man or woman -- to reach the last 32.
"Starts are very important, but I'm really happy with the second set because she raised her level," smiled Watson.
"The first set I just felt great, pretty flawless. It's always going to change. I've got to expect her to raise her level and to try something new, and she did. I was pleased with how I remained calm and just kept doing what I was doing."
Watson will next face Victoria Azarenka after the Belarussian, back on tour after giving birth to her first child in December, ousted 15th-seeded Russian Elena Vesnina.
"I look forward to playing her," Watson said. "I know she has only just come back, but I expect her to be playing really well because I know she will have put in the hours and the work.
"You don't get to where she's got to in her career without, you know, being a really good player."
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