Home favourite Robson upsets Kirilenko at Wimbledon

Home favorite Laura Robson became the first British woman to defeat a top-10 player at Wimbledon in 15 years when she beat 10th-seeded Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday in the first round of the grass-court tournament. The 19-year-old Robson followed in the footsteps of Sam Smith, who upset No. 7 Conchita Martinez in 1998. [caption id=“attachment_905211” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Home favorite Laura Robson became the first British woman to defeat a top-10 player at Wimbledon in 15 years. AP[/caption] After wrapping up the match with a forehand winner, Robson said “it was nerve-wracking before I served for it. I just wanted to focus and take it point by point. Any big win gives you a lot of confidence.” Earlier, Serena Williams delivered a statement that no one can argue with: When her powerful serve is clicking, she’s still the woman to beat at the All England Club. Putting aside her recent comments that led to a couple of apologies and a brief spat with Maria Sharapova, Williams looked every bit the five-time champion as she began her Wimbledon title defense with a routine 6-1, 6-3 victory over Mandy Minella of Luxembourg. AP