Thu Jun 26 10:14:12 2008

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Venus reaches third round; Davenport pulls out at Big W

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Wimbledon, England (Sports Network) - Reigning champion and four-time winner Venus Williams posted a second-round victory, while former champ Lindsay Davenport pulled out of Wimbledon on Thursday.

The seventh-seeded Williams got past Britain's Anne Keothavong 7-5, 6-2 on Centre Court at the All England Club. Keothavong pushed Williams in the first set, but the powerful American ultimately got the opening stanza under her belt and then cruised in the second.

Williams needed 69 minutes to capture the first set and wound up advancing in 1 hour, 44 minutes. The American piled up six double faults and 26 unforced errors, but also broke Keothavong's serve four times, while only surrendering one break against.

The six-time Grand Slam champion Williams defeated France's Marion Bartoli in last year's Wimbledon finale and also titled here in 2000, 2001 and 2005. She was the runner-up to her fellow former world No. 1 and younger sister Serena in 2002 and 2003.

Davenport was forced to withdraw on Day 4 because of a nagging knee injury.

The 1999 champion at the All England Club also withdrew from the Wimbledon tuneup in Eastbourne because of the problem, then survived a first-round match against Czech Renata Voracova with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 decision. The 32-year-old Davenport needed medical attention during Tuesday's encounter.

Gisela Dulko was scheduled to face Davenport on Thursday, but the walkover advanced the Argentine into the third round.

The former top-ranked Davenport had missed Wimbledon the past two years -- in 2006 because of injury and last year because she was pregnant with her first child. In addition to her title here in 1999, she was also the runner-up to Venus in 2000 and 2005.