On paper this looked like a straightforward match for the 22-year-old Russian, who is seeded 24. But these are not straightforward times for the 2004 champion, barely six weeks into her comeback after nine months out with injury.
Last August after years of problems – yes, years of problems are quite possible even in a player of Sharapova’s age – with her right shoulder, she had surgery on the rotator cuff. But recovery necessitated a long lay-off, including three months without so much as picking up a racket, and this was the first match she had played without visible strapping to support the old injury.
It was not as if she could take heart from happy memories of Wimbledon 2008 either, as 12 months ago she fell in the second round to the unheralded Alla Kudryavtseva.
Truth be told, few on No.1 Court had heard of Kutuzova either before this match, but it rapidly became clear that the 20-year-old world number 79 was not in the least overawed. For one thing, she gave every bit as good as she got in the grunting department, with the two of them exchanging bellows with every strike of the ball.
And what strikes they were, with Kutuzova, especially, putting enormous power into every baseline stroke, forcing errors from Sharapova.
The Russian was also contributing a fair number of unforced mistakes, and these factors led to Kutuzova breaking for 2-1 in the first set. Barely had the crowd recovered than the Ukrainian repeated the feat for 4-1.
Sharapova looked to be fighting back. She got one break back and almost levelled for 4-4. But when she failed, the set was within Kutuzova’s grasp. On a rare visit to the net, she volleyed in an attempt to convert set point, but a punchy Sharapova forehand saved it. Those familiar with Kutuzova’s play say that she has most difficulty playing well when she is ahead, and that characteristic emerged here.
Meanwhile, Sharapova’s competitive determination was in full drive and from 3-5 she took four straight games to plunder a set she should have lost.
Instead of crumbling, Kutuzova reacted with apparent calm, breaking in the first game of the second set. But she could not consolidate the lead, and Sharapova’s application brought her the break back.
When Sharapova broke for 2-4 the match looked to be done and dusted, but Kutuzova was not done yet. The Ukrainian answered to love before Sharapova broke once more. Again Kutuzova broke back, this time to love, to make it 4-5. But eventually her problem was that she ran out of opportunities to break back. A great return gave Sharapova her first match point, and she closed out the match with no further drama.
It was a potentially nerve-shredding occasion for Silva, a 26-year-old from Portugal who was appearing in her first Grand Slam match, but she responded bravely and positively. Aided by a string of errors from Williams, she made a real fight of the second set after losing the first in 27 minutes and is entitled to feel proud of doing so well as the first Portuguese, man or woman, to appear on Centre Court.
Silva has known the dark side of tennis, having been sidelined for three years with a wrist injury that almost caused her to give up the sport after her ranking dipped into the 600s. Now ranked 154, this match provided a brighter side for her career and she responded vigorously.
Williams, with both ankles and her right wrist heavily taped, needed six minutes to break serve in the opening game, but made rapid enough progress afterwards. She was 4-0 ahead inside 20 minutes, though there was a warm Centre Court response when Silva managed to hold serve at the third attempt.
Even though heavily outgunned in that opening set, Silva came back full of fight and, aided by some outrageous Williams errors, made a fine match of it in the second set.
After holding serve to 2-2, Silva responded with a fist-pumping celebration of which any of her footballing compatriots would have been proud.
But Serena, twice the Wimbledon champion, has never lost in the first round of any Grand Slam and she remembered her pedigree when it mattered.
Despite failing to convert a match point at 5-4, the American closed out the last two games confidently. The match practice on grass had been needed, and at times it looked that way.
After the match, Serena said she was she had let her concentration slip after dominating the first set. "I definitely think she increased her game, but also I think my concentration wasn't what I wanted it to be, on some key points, it wasn't where it should have been. And, you know, it's just a point here or there that can make or break a match," she said.
"I thought I served well. I thought, you know, in practice I've been doing a little bit better. I thought I could have played a ton better, especially on key points. I feel like hopefully as the tournament goes on and progresses, I'll get there."
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