Unseeded Shvedova achieves golden set at Wimbledon

It was a record-breaking day for women at Wimbledon today.

Unseeded woman Yaroslava Shvedova made history by becoming the first player to win a set at SW19 without conceding a point while Serena Williams broke records after hitting 23 aces during her match.

Shvedova, 24, from Kazakhstan, achieved her feat - known as a golden set - in just 15 minutes against French Open runner-up Sara Errani. She went on to win 6-0, 6-4.

It is the first time a golden set has been won at Wimbledon and believed to be only the second time in professional tennis history it has been achieved.

The first time was when American Bill Scanlon beat Brazilian Marcos Hocevar in the first round of the WCT Gold Coast Classic at Delray Beach, Florida, on February 22, 1983. Scanlon won the match 6-2, 6-0.

The only other woman believed to have achieved it is amateur Pauline Betz, who in 1943 beat Catherine Wolf 6-0 6-2 in the final of a tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Shvedova scored 24 consecutive points against 10th seed Errani, breaking a WTA record which she held herself, after scoring 23 against Amy Frazier in Memphis in 2006.

After the match, the 24-year-old tweeted: "Fourth round baby! :))))", adding: "Today I laid a golden egg!".

In another record-breaker, Serena Williams, who won her centre-court match against Chinese Jie Zheng, hit 23 aces - a record for a women's game at Wimbledon.

The serves prevented Williams from following sister Venus out of the tournament as the 30-year-old managed a 6-7 (7/5), 6-2, 9-7 win.

The 23 aces Williams served is a new record for a women's match at SW19. Williams set the previous record of 20 during her semi-final win over Elena Dementieva in 2009.

PA