Serena routs Scheepers to make Wimbledon 3rd round

Serena Williams of the U.S. celebrates winning the women's singles match against Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Thursday, June 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Ben Curtis

LONDON (AP) - Five-time champion Serena Williams wasted no time in reaching the third round at Wimbledon, routing Chanelle Scheepers 6-1, 6-1 on Thursday in just 49 minutes.

Chasing her 18th Grand Slam title, the top-seeded American overwhelmed the 94th-ranked South African in the opening match on Court 1 at the All England Club.

Williams served eight aces and had 26 winners.

The 30-year-old Scheepers, who had never won a match at Wimbledon until this week, had only five winners to go with 13 unforced errors.

Williams, coming off a second-round loss at the French Open, is playing in her 15th Wimbledon and 56th Grand Slam tournament.