Sanchez-Vicario falls by the wayside

No. 13 seed Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain was knocked out in the second of the Wimbledon Championships by Lilia Osterloh of the United States on Wednesday.

Unseeded Osterloh defeated the 29-year-old Spaniard, who was runner-up in 1995 and 1996, in straight sets 7-6, 7-5 in a match lasting one hour and 25 minutes.

The 23-year-old Osterloh had reached the fourth round at last year's championships and will now face No. 19 seed Conchita Martinez of Spain in her next match.

Fifth seed Serena Williams blasted her way into the third round, beating Germany's Barbara Rittner 6-4, 6-0.

The powerful American, a semifinalist last year, was joined in the last 32 by eighth seed Justine Henin. The Belgian's attacking game was hardly helped by the cooler conditions as she scraped past Dutch qualifier Kristie Boogert 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.

Former champion Conchita Martinez beat American Sandra Cacic 7-5, 6-4 and in the men's draw, big-serving Briton Greg Rusedski crushed Zimbabwe's Byron Black 6-1, 6-3, 6-4.

The left-hander's groundstrokes and placement were as solid as his famed serve. He fired down 13 aces at Black, a quarter-finalist last year but utterly frustrated this time by Rusedski's big guns.

In the first set Rusedski dropped just four points on his serve. Black has won only two matches in this grass court season after suffering a right ankle injury playing soccer back home.

"Just one match at a time? that's all there is to it," unseeded Rusedski smiled afterwards. "I played very, very well. I was really pleased with my returns and my groundstrokes.

"I'm just looking forward to the next match now."

POWER PAST

Rusedski will next meet either eighth-seeded clay court specialist Juan Carlos Ferrero or former Wimbledon semifinalist Jason Stoltenberg who play later on Wednesday.

Top seed Pete Sampras takes on British wildcard Barry Cowan while women's fourth seed Jennifer Capriati, looking to win her third consecutive Grand Slam after triumphing in Melbourne and Paris, meets Italy's Francesca Schiavone.

Serena Williams emerged from a slow start to power past Rittner. She was broken in the first game of the match and, although she hit back immediately, world number 52 Rittner continued to bother the 19-year-old.

Rittner, 28 years of age and part of a dying breed of finesse players on the WTA Tour, was content to find the lines and manouevre Williams across the Centre Court turf.

Serena eventually carved out three break and set points when leading 5-4 and sealed the opening set.

The second set was a procession. She claimed the win on her second match point after 55 minutes to set up a third round meeting with Switzerland's Emmanuelle Gagliardi who beat Kristina Brandi of the United States 6-1, 6-2.

BATTLING VICTORY

Henin recovered from a set and 3-0 down to record a battling victory over Boogert.

The 19-year-old, a semifinalist at the French Open, looked in grave danger of following top seed Martina Hingis out of the tournament as she was swamped by the Dutchwoman's booming serve and better grasscourt game in the first set on Court 18.

The 1.78-metre tall Dutchwoman, ranked 125, broke at 6-5 to take the set and quickly broke Henin again to take what appeared to be a decisive lead in the second set.

But the Belgian, who avenged her defeat at Roland Garros by compatriot Kim Clijsters by winning the Den Bosch grasscourt title last week, dug deep, began to make her baseline shots count and broke back twice to level the match.

Her confidence gone, Boogert's serve deserted her as well and, hitting winners down both flanks, Henin raced through the third set to seal a gutsy victory.

The Belgian, who lost in three sets to Spain's Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the first round on her Wimbledon debut last year, faces American Lisa Raymond, seeded 28, in the last 32 after she beat Britain's Karen Cross 6-0, 6-1.

Virginia Ruano Pascual's moment of Wimbledon glory came to an abrupt end when she was beaten 6-3, 7-6 in the second round by Russian teenager Lina Krasnoroutskaya.

Spaniard Ruano Pascual, a doubles specialist and baseliner who knocked out Hingis on the opening day, came unstuck against the 17-year-old Krasnoroutskaya.