Defending champion Venus Williams and world number one Dinara Safina moved into the Wimbledon second round on Tuesday as time caught up with All England Club veterans Kimiko Date Krumm and Jelena Dokic.

Williams, the five-time, 29-year-old champion, beat Switzerland's Stefanie Voegele 6-3, 6-2 in a sun-kissed Centre Court workout.

"It is the best place to be when you are a pro tennis player and I savour every blade of it," said Williams who now faces Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko.

"I've had that crown for several years and I want to make it mine again."

The American had her serve broken twice and had to spend an hour and 18 minutes on court against the 19-year-old, world 97.

Russian top seed Safina, who has never got beyond the third round, reached the last 64 with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Spain's Lourdes Dominguez Lino and next plays Paraguay's Rossana de los Rios.

Safina, the beaten finalist in Australia and at Roland Garros this year, shrugged off a knee injury on Court One.

"It's a problem I've had for two months. I was struggling in the second set, but hopefully treatment will help."

Date Krumm and Dokic's hopes of a fairytale melted in the Wimbledon heat.

Date Krumm, the 38-year-old Japanese who last played at Wimbledon in 1996, took the first set off Danish ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki but slipped to a 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 defeat.

The Japanese player reached the semi-finals in 1996; when she made her debut in 1989, Wozniacki was still a year away from being born.

Date Krumm, 20 years older than the blonde Dane, needed extensive medical treatment on her injured thigh as the marathon tie took its toll.

"I was cramping in the third set and couldn't move. But if I had extra power and energy, I think it could have been a different story," said Date Krumm.

"These days the players are all very powerful. I like to use my head and I think if people used slice, volleys and more approaches, tennis would be more interesting."

Wozniacki, who came into Wimbledon having captured the Eastbourne grasscourt tournament, admitted that Date Krumm's flat-hitting style had caught her by surprise.

"The game is just different from what I am used to. She was playing really flat, and I really had to get under the ball a lot. She took advantage of that when I was playing short and came to the net and was playing well," she said.

Dokic, who made her career breakthrough in London in 1999 when she defeated defending champion Martina Hingis, before her professional and private life went into a downward spiral, also needed medical attention.

The 26-year-old Australian took the first set off German qualifier Tatjana Malek before losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Dokic complained of feeling dizzy at the end of the second set and had her blood pressure taken at courtside.

"There's been a lot of stuff happen," said Dokic who last played here in 2004, spending most of the intervening years escaping the iron hand of controversial father Damir.

"I don't feel like I've played as much tennis as I probably should have in the 10 years. I lost about four years, which is disappointing."

Also progressing in the women's draw was Serbian sixth seed Jelena Jankovic who defeated Germany's Julia Goerges 6-4, 7-6 (7/0) and she will face the Czech Republic's Iveta Benesova.

In the men's first round, Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros, brushed aside France's Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.

There wins also for 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, who defeated Robby Ginepri 6-4, 6-1, 6-1, while two-time runner-up Andy Roddick saw off France's Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-3.