7th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova could have been forgiven for cursing her luck when the draw came out. Her second round opponent Ekaterina Makarova was ranked as high as No.8 in the world in 2015, but has seen her ranking drop outside of the seeding positions.
Kuznetsova was however not holding back and came out firing. The Russian got off to a fast start against her compatriot, eventually winning the match 6-0, 7-5. Ruthless ground-strokes kept Makarova off-balance as Kuznetsova played a perfect opening set.
Makarova did manage to make the second set a more competitive affair, even going up a break of serve. Kuznetsova quickly retrieved it though, and then broke again as Makarova attempted to take the match to a tiebreak. A double-fault on match point followed and Kuznetsova moved into the third round.
Kuznetsova will be looking to reach or eclipse her personal best at Wimbledon. She is a three-time former quarter-finalist, but the last time she reached that stage was in 2007.
Kuznetsova will play either Varvara Lepchenko or Polona Hercog in the third round. Lauren Davis, the 28th seed was her expected opponent, but she was beaten by compatriot Lepchenko.
Kuznetsova has won the US Open and Roland Garros in the past. She is considered an outside shot for the title here especially given the absences of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
