“I think she was very focussed out there – she fought. She had a couple of games were she held her serve and had service breaks. I have to give her credit for that.”

Williams, the world number five, was at her dominant best in wrapping up the opening set inside 40 minutes as her opponent struggled with an apparent back injury, which required a lengthy medical timeout at 5-2.

The American has enjoyed a fantastic 2017 in which she has reached the finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon as well as the semi-finals of the US Open. She sent down seven aces on her way to the second round, where she will again meet a Japanese opponent in the shape of Naomi Osaka.

Asked if there was any key to her resurgent form in 2017, Williams said she had just continued to prepare professionally.

“I’m trying. I’m always trying,” said the seven-time grand slam champion. “As an athlete – as a player – you always want to do things better. You have to or you become a relic. So every single moment I’m trying to prepare better.”

WEDNESDAY’S ORDER OF PLAY

Centre court

From 3pm

Shelby Rogers (US) vs [7] Daria Gavrilova (Australia)

Naomi Osaka (Japan) vs [2] Venus Williams (US)

Not before 7pm

Samantha Stosur (Australia) vs [4] Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland)

Eugenie Bouchard (Canada)/ Shelby Rogers (US) vs Julia Glushko (Israel)/Priscilla Hon (Australia)

Court one

From 3pm

Lu Jiajing (China)/Qiang Wang (China) vs [3] Makoto Ninomiya (Japan)/Renata Voracova (Czech Republic)

Not before 4pm

[6] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) vs Jacqueline Cako (US)

[1] Chan Hao-ching (Taiwan)/ Chan Yung-jan (Taiwan) vs Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan)/Misa Eguchi (Japan)

Jacqueline Cako (US)/Valeria Savinykh (Russia) vs Monique Adamczak (Australia)/Chang Kai-chen (Taiwan)