French Open, Second Round: Venus Williams Advances; Taylor Dent Demolished By Robin Soderling

Still sporting her lacy black dress that has DIVIDED A NATION, Venus Williams was able to overcome a shaky first serve to defeat Arantxa Parra Santonja, 6-2, 6-4, in the second round of the French Open on Wednesday.

Williams struggled with her first serve, particularly her ball toss. She often took extra time before serving, and had to re-toss. For this match, the inconsistency didn’t matter though, as she was able to save Parra Santonja’s three break point chances, while breaking her opponent three times. Her serve could certainly become an issue moving forward, however, as the competition improves.

The other American in action early Wednesday was Tyler Dent, who had the misfortune of facing last year’s runner-up Robin Soderling in the second round. It did not go well. Soderling blew Dent off the court, only dropping two games in a 71-minute rout.