Venus Williams triumphs despite serving problems

She beat Slovakia's Katarina Srebotnik in the second round at Wimbledon.
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WIMBLEDON, England -- Serena Williams has called her sister Venus "the player to beat" at Wimbledon.
Venus Williams didn't look quite that formidable in her second-round victory Wednesday, but she showed glimpses of her former Grand Slam form in sweeping by Slovakia's Katarina Srebotnik, 6-4, 6-1.
Despite erratic serving, Williams ended both sets definitively, with an ace and a forehand winner, dispelling concerns that she's still bothered by an abdominal strain.
With the first set tied 3-3, she laced a backhand cross-court winner that seemed to spark her game.
"I was just trying to run for every ball and go for everything," she said. "That was real, real fun."
She'll next play French Open semifinalist Nadia Petrova, and looming in the fourth round is a possible rematch with 18-year-old Vera Zvonareva, who upset Williams in the fourth round at Roland Garros.
"I'm definitely feeling good about my game," said Williams, seeded fourth.
"I feel good about myself at all times."
Other winners
Also advancing were No. 2 Kim Clijsters, No. 5 Lindsay Davenport and No. 7 Chanda Rubin. No. 9 Daniela Hantuchova, fighting back tears after she blew a 5-2 lead in the third set, lost to Shinobu Asagoe 0-6, 6-4, 12-10. No. 26 Alexandra Stevenson did not make it out of the second round.
"This tournament means a lot to me, and I really wanted to do well," Hantuchova said.
After her third-set lead slipped away, Hantuchova often appeared to be fighting back tears between points and during changeovers. She had two match points serving at 5-3 and another at 5-4, and she also had leads of 7-6, 9-8 and 10-9.
"I just didn't take my chances," she said.
Considered rising star
Hantuchova was touted as a rising star while reaching the quarterfinals of three consecutive Grand Slam events, including Wimbledon last year.
But her past two major tournaments ended with marathon second-round defeats.
At the French Open, Hantuchova rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the third set and served for the match at 6-5 but lost to American Ashley Harkleroad, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 9-7 in 3 hours, 8 minutes. This time Hantuchova played for 2:47.
"It's very disappointing to have two in a row like this," she said. "Physically I felt I could have gone for another two hours," she said after her latest defeat.
"It's just the mental side I have to work hard on at the moment. I've been in this situation a couple of times before and didn't handle it very well."