Wimbledon 2016: Serena Williams battles back to beat Christina McHale and move into second week at SW19

SERENA WILLIAMS was forced to dig deep in her second-round match with fellow American Christina McHale, edging an absolute thriller on Centre Court 6-7 (9-7) 6-2 6-4.

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Six-time SW19 champion Williams, 34, got off to an appalling start against the world No65, throwing away her opening service game of the match.

Things quickly got worse for the No1 seed as she fluffed FOUR chances to break back in an epic second game, before ultimately conceding for a 2-0 deficit.

Williams eventually got on the board in the third game of the first set before finally getting the better of the McHale serve herself to level things up at 4-4... With her EIGHTH break point of the match.

And just like that, the rain came down hard and the players were forced off the hallowed turf while the roof was kicked into gear.

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When play resumed, it was more of the same as the American duo traded blows, before reaching six games apiece.

During a hotly-contested tie break, McHale twice lost her cool at set point, before Williams threw away the set facing the third, finding the net with a simple forehand at 8-7 down.

Losing the first set was just the kick up the backside the world No1 needed, however, as she broke McHale's serve in the third game of the second to put herself in the driving seat.

And from there Williams didn't look back, breaking again in the fifth game to cruise to 6-2.

Yet her momentum quickly disappeared as McHale broke Williams' first service game of the deciding set.

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Crucially for the world No1, Williams was gifted an immediate reprieve, being allowed to break back after a string of errors from McHale, before holding to love.

A visibly more determined Williams - who at times in the match looked close to tears - powered to 0-40 to give herself a chance of taking real control of the match, before throwing them all away, much to her obvious frustration.

With every game seemingly reaching deuce, the match was very much in the balance, until Williams made the decisive break in the ninth game.

Suddenly, Serena was serving for the set, the match and her very place in the championship.

And she took it with aplomb - winning to love, finishing with a trio of aces - to nervously edge her way into the third round at Wimbledon.