Venus Williams booked a 2nd Round slot at the expense of German #5 seed Andrea Petkovic in a Centre Court thriller.
The powerful ex-Wimbledon champion made a stuttering start after a five-month injury lay-off but captured the opening set 7-5 after moving up a few gears when trailing 3-2.
The second set was also a cagey cat-and-mouse contest, with the lead swinging one way and then the other before Petkovic bounced back from 5-6 to triumph 7-5.
The American pounced on every ball in the decisive set to open up a 3-0 lead before claiming a 6-3 victory.