The Championships Wimbledon Venus sinks Voegel

Defending champion Venus Williams moved into the Wimbledon second round on Tuesday but time caught up with fellow All England Club veterans Kimiko Date Krumm and Jelena Dokic.

Williams, the five-time, 29-year-old champion, beat Switzerland's Stefanie Voegele 6-3, 6-2 in a sun-kissed Centre Court workout.

"It is the best place to be when you are a pro tennis player and I savour every blade of it," said Williams. "I've had that crown for several years and I want to make it mine again."

While Williams was pondering facing Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko for a place in the last 32, Date Krumm and Dokic's hopes of a fairytale campaign melted in the Wimbledon heat.

Date Krumm, the 38-year-old Japanese who last played here in 1996, took the first set off Danish ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki but slipped to a 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 defeat.

The Japanese player, making a comeback this year, reached the semi-finals in 1996 and when she made her debut in 1989, Wozniacki was still a year away from being born.

Date Krumm, 20 years older than the blonde Dane, needed extensive medical treatment on her injured thigh as the marathon first round tie took its toll.

Dokic, who made her career breakthrough here in 1999 when she defeated top seed Martina Hingis, before her professional and private life went into a spiral, also needed medical attention.

The 26-year-old Australian took the first set off German qualifier Tatjana Malek before losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Dokic complained of feeling dizzy at the end of the second set and had her blood pressure taken at courtside.

Malek goes on to tackle Australian 18th seed, and French Open semifinalist, Samantha Stosur.

Also progressing in the women's draw was Serbian sixth seed Jelena Jankovic who defeated Germany's Julia Göerges 6-4, 7-6 (7/0) and she will face the Czech Republic's Iveta Benesova who saw off Britain's Katie O'Brien.

In the men's first round, Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro, a semifinalist at Roland Garros, brushed aside France's Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.

There were also comfortable wins for Chilean 10th seed Fernando Gonzalez, Russian 12th seed Nikolay Davydenko and Tommy Haas, the German 24th seed and a winner on grass at Halle last week.