Defending champion Petra Kvitova has recovered from a shaky start to beat Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4 6-4 in her opening match at Wimbledon.

The fourth-seeded Czech looked nervous early on Tuesday and was broken in her first service game on Centre Court and then saved two break points when trailing 3-0 in the first set.

She found her rhythm after that and won seven straight games to take a 2-0 lead in the second set.

After a 30-minute rain delay, Kvitova served out the match to love.

Kvitova won her first Grand Slam title by beating Maria Sharapova in last year’s final.

The 96th-ranked Amanmuradova has never reached the second round in five Wimbledon appearances.