Venus Williams pushed to the limit by Daria Kasatkina

This was Kasatkina's fourth-ever match on grass but she managed to scare her opponent, dragging her through a lengthy third set.

Kasatkina, 19, demonstrated clearly how she has leapt 128 places up the rankings in the last year, saving two match points, one after a lengthy rain stoppage.

The women were forced off court with Williams on match point as the heavens opened for a third time in the match, the scoreboard showing 7-5 4-6 7-6 and 40-30 in the eighth seed's favour.

Kasatkina won the next three points using a hefty serve.

"This was like something out of a movie," a beaming Williams said.

Five-times champion Williams, who suffered peaks and troughs of form throughout the two hour 41 minute match, finally downed the 29th-seeded Wimbledon debutant on her third match point with a thundering return that the Russian dumped in the net.

Kasatkina was just a few weeks old when 36-year-old Williams first played at Wimbledon in 1997 and it was the older woman who held her nerve to the last.

"It wasn't easy to play out there today," the American said.