Svetlana Kuznetsova was made to work hard for a first round win over Mathilde Johansson.
Fourth seed struggles against Johansson
Svetlana Kuznetsova was made to work hard for a first round win over Wimbledon debutant Mathilde Johansson.
The Russian fourth seed lost the first set and was then a break down in the decider, but fought back to win through to the second round 6-7 7-5 6-3.
Kuznetsova's reward is a meeting with Kateryna Bondarenko in the second round.
The Ukrainian also fought back from a set down to beat Japan's Rika Fujiwara 1-6 6-4 6-3.
Kuznetsova, who has reached the quarter-finals on three of her five visits to the All England Club, struggled for consistency throughout her two hours and 13 minutes on court.
Promising start
Both players showed early promise, but it was former US Open champion Kuznetsova who gained the edge in the fifth game of the opening set when she forced the first break.
Johansson was proving a tricky customer though and hit back five games later when her Russian opponent hit a weak forehand into the net.
A tie-break soon followed, and it looked as though Kuznetsova's experience would see her through when, with the help of a well-timed volley and a double-fault from Johansson, she found herself 4-1 ahead.
But the Frenchwoman would not give up and a series of stunning forehands allowed her to wipe out the deficit before claiming an entertaining opening set in 51 minutes.
Despite her lack of Wimbledon experience, Johansson continued to look perfectly at ease on the grass and enjoyed another break of serve in the third game of the second set following a wayward shot from Kuznetsova.
But the world number four was gifted a way back in the very next game, when Johansson - who had already saved two break points - scooped a forehand into the net.
The Russian followed it up with another break in the sixth, but Johansson again responded in the next game as both players experienced a slight dip in their game.
Another tie-break looked on the cards, but Kuznetsova rediscovered her form at the right time and an unstoppable volley in game 12 secured another break and the second set.
The Russian's joy was short-lived though as Johansson once more raised her game to break at the start of the decider before holding her own serve to take a 2-0 lead.
The see-saw battle continued when the fourth seed again levelled proceedings in the sixth, before finding herself with three break points on Johansson's next service game.
And the Frenchwoman gave her opponent a 5-3 lead in the set when she pushed her forehand wide.
Having regained the lead, Kuznetsova needed no second invitation as she wrapped up the match.
Another escape
Anna Chakvetadze also survived a tough first round encounter, saving match point on her way to victory over Stephanie Dubois.
Dubois has yet to win a match at any Grand Slam, but she came close as she moved 5-6 and 30-40 ahead in the final set, only to miss her opportunity against the Russian's serve.
Chakvetadze, the eighth seed, also failed to convert her first match point but was eventually able to secure a 2-6 6-1 8-6 victory.
