Federer, Serena breeze through
> Champs overcome 30 degree heat into second round as fourth seed Stephens is first casualty <
EIGHT-TIME champion Roger Federer and seven-time winner Serena Williams shrugged off 30-degree heat to breeze into the Wimbledon second round yesterday.
Federer, the defending champion and seeking a 21st major, marked the start of his 20th successive Wimbledon with a new look and a comfortable 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 win over Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic.
Williams, like Federer, 36-years-old but chasing a 24th Slam title, enjoyed a hardfought 7-5, 6-3 victory over Holland’s Arantxa Rus.
It was the American’s first match at the All England Club since lifting the 2016 title.
She missed the 2017 edition as she prepared for the birth of her first child.
Top seed Federer marched out on Centre Court dressed for the first time in gear designed by Japanese giant Uniqlo in a deal reported to be worth US$300m (RM1.2b) after a two-decade association with Nike.
But everything else was familiar for the Swiss star who cruised past world No. 57 Lajovic in just 79 minutes.
It was the second successive year that Federer had knocked out the Serb at Wimbledon.
“I’m very happy, I felt good from the start too which was nice and that was not the case last year against him. I remember I struggled early on a lot,” said Federer.
After just 20 minutes to complete the first set, Federer went on to fire 35 winners past Lajovic, breaking serve five times, setting up a second round encounter against Lukas Lacko of Slovakia.
Out on Court One, Serena, seeded 25 this year despite a ranking of 181, had too much power for Rus, the world 107.
Williams, looking to move within one title of Martina Navratilova’s Open era record of nine Wimbledon titles, fired 23 winners past Rus.
Victory was sealed on a fifth match point and next faces Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova.
“I don’t know if I’m relieved, more motivated, but I am happy to get through that,” said Williams, whose return to Slam tennis after pregnancy at Roland Garros last month ended in a fourth round injury withdrawal.
US Open champion and fourth seed Sloane Stephens became the tournament’s first big name casualty when she slumped to a 6-1, 6-3 loss to Croatia’s world 55 Donna Vekic.
For Stephens, fresh from making the French Open final last month, it was her second successive first round loss at the tournament.
“There isn’t too much I can do – I’m not going to go and cry. Life goes on,” said Stephens, who was followed out of the tournament by Bulgarian sixth seed Grigor Dimitrov.
The 2014 semifinalist was stunned by three-time Slam winner Stan Wawrinka 1-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
Also making a first round exit was Ukraine fifth seed Elina Svitolina, beaten 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-1 by Germany’s Tatjana Maria, the Mallorca grasscourt champion last week.
Third seed and 2017 runner-up Marin Cilic enjoyed a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka.
Second seed Caroline Wozniacki, who has never got to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, built on her Eastbourne title at the weekend with a 59-minute, 6-0, 6-3 win over Varvara Lepchenko.
Venus Williams, a five-time champion and runner-up last year, made the next round with a 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-1 win against Johanna Larsson of Sweden.
Serena’s fellow tennis-playing mother, Victoria Azarenka, a former world No. 1 and two-time semifinalist, defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia 7-6 (7/4), 6-3. – AFP