Wimbledon 2018: Williams sisters on their way once again as Serena and Venus progress to third round

The two Americans are up and running at SW19

A host of top names have fallen by the Wimbledon wayside but Serena and Venus Williams, with 12 titles behind them, moved ominously into round three.

Just as second seed Caroline Wozniacki was tumbling out, joining Petra Kvitova, Maria Sharapova, Elina Svitolina and Sloane Stephens through the All England Club exit, Serena was seeing off Viktoriya Tomova.

Serena, 36, playing in her second grand slam since giving birth to her daughter in September, was just too powerful for her Bulgarian opponent.

The seven-time champion raced away with the first set and although Tomova, ranked 135 in the world, hung around slightly longer in the second, Serena completed a comprehensive 6-1 6-4 win.

Serena, granted a seeding of 25 this year after maternity leave saw her slip down the rankings, told the BBC: "It was better than my first round so I'm happy I'm going in the right direction.

"I didn't move a lot but I've been moving a lot better than I was in Paris. How close to my best am I? I'm getting there, I don't think I'm there yet but I expect to get there, not only at Wimbledon but other tournaments in the future."

Should they continue in the same vein, the American sisters could meet each other in the semi-finals.

Venus was once again a little slower out of the blocks, but soon recovered to join Serena in the third round.

The 38-year-old, who dropped the opening set in the first round against Johanna Larsson, was broken in the first game of her second-round match by Romanian qualifier Alexandra Dulgheru.

Venus was playing her usual aggressive game but found her powerful groundstrokes being sent back with interest by the world number 141.

Venus Williams in action on No 1 Court (Getty)

Dulgheru took the opening set but Venus gathered herself before the restart. She promptly reeled off 12 of the next 13 games to wrap up a 4-6 6-0 6-1 victory.

Venus, who plays Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens in the next round, said: "I'm happy. I won, and as long as I walk away at the end with a win, that's the goal. I love winning here. I love winning everywhere.

"I don't know what exactly to expect (against Bertens) other than to continue to try to improve my game. I've done that in both my matches, just continued to play better and better throughout the match.

"I feel confident that I can do that. What happens on her side of the net will be out of my control.

"I mean, it's the third round now. I'm sure she has some momentum and will probably be playing well."