Venus Williams battles through to Wimbledon third round

Venus Williams has defeated qualifier Maria Sakkari in three sets to move through to the third round at Wimbledon.

The five-time champion found herself on Court 18 as tournament organisers attempted to ease the backlog of matches caused by a number of rain delays but despite a second-set blip, Williams was able to come through 7-5 4-6 6-3.

Despite saving nine of 11 break points in the opening set, the American only opened up a lead in the 12th game and she found herself on the back foot during the second as Sakkiri threatened an upset.

Williams also had to contend with a leg injury during the decider, but she conceded just seven points behind her serve and one break proved enough to finally come through in two hours 24 minutes.