Halep finds her rhythm

Murray lets adrenaline take over in his opening victory

THERE were signs yesterday that Andy Murray was still troubled by the sore hip that had bothered him in the build up to Wimbledon – but they weren’t enough to stop him from marching straight into the second round.

The limp that often appeared to trouble the defending champion between points disappeared the moment the ball was in play, as he easily outclassed maverick Wimbledon debutant Alexander Bublik 6-1 6-4 6-2 to go through.

There was so much uncertainty about the top seed’s form in the days running up to the grasscourt major, one British bookmaker had declared Murray “friendless” in the run-up to championships – with punters backing him to lose early rather than win the title for the third time.

Some doomsayers even feared he could become only the third men’s defending champion – after Manuel Santana in 1967 and Lleyton Hewitt in 2003 – to lose in the first round.

Others highlighted how Murray was on a two-match losing streak against players classified as lucky losers – as Bublik was, having lost in the final round of qualifying but made it into the main draw thanks to another player’s withdrawal.

But any hopes that the 135th-ranked Kazakh could add his name to that illustrious list of ‘lucky losers’ were swiftly extinguished as Murray did not let Bublik’s array of unconventional shots, or two rain breaks, throw him off course as he secured a second round showdown with German showman Dustin Brown.

“I wasn’t thinking about the rain too much. I felt comfortable underfoot,” said Murray.

“In the first few days, normally the court is a bit lush and can be a bit slippy, but I didn’t feel like I was losing my footing at all.”

“Getting out on the match court... the adrenaline helps numb some of the pain. I moved well today and thought I did pretty well for the first match,” Murray said after walking off court.

“I’ll spend some time with my physio this evening, get an ice bath, then have a light practice tomorrow. I’ll work a bit on my passing shots and lobs.”

Rafa Nadal moved seamlessly from months of claycourt success to a satisfyingly smooth first-round victory on grass as he opened his campaign with a commanding 6-1 6-3 6-2 victory over Australian John Millman.

Nadal missed the traditional warm-up at London’s Queen’s Club to look after his battered body in the wake of his victories at the French Open and in Madrid, Monte Carlo and Barcelona but immediately looked comfortable on the faster surface and displayed the full array of ground strokes that have earned him two Wimbledon titles.

Millman, who missed the first five months of the season with a groin injury, played his part in some entertaining rallies but fourth-seed Nadal, who missed last year’s Wimbledon through injury and was playing his first grass tournament match for two years, was always on top.

The Spaniard really hit his stride in the final set once he had mastered his timing, smashing a series of blistering forehands that left Millman as much a spectator as those crammed into Number One Court, with Nadal wrapping up the victory in well under two hours.

French open finalist Simona Halep found her grasscourt rhythm to beat qualifier Marina Erakovic 6-4 6-1 and take the first step towards a title that is wide open in the absence of 2016 champion Serena Williams.

Halep, one of the pre-tournament favourites in Paris, was beaten in three sets by Jelena Ostapenko and said last week she was still thinking about that missed opportunity as she fell asleep.

But with Serena, who secured her 23rd slam in Australia, expecting her first child, Halep is again one of the names being talked up for Wimbledon and a first grand slam.

The Romanian, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2014, is one of four women who could top the rankings after the grasscourt slam. Halep will climb from number two if she reaches at least the quarter-finals and other results go her way.

But despite such prizes in reach, she said she felt only “positive pressure” after dispatching the world 129 New Zealander in the first round.

“I feel that everyone has a chance here, like in the French Open,” she told reporters.

She broke in the first set with a mighty backhand winner down the line when Erakovic was serving at 2-2, before powering through the second set, setting the tone by breaking at the first opportunity.

“In the end, I found the rhythm, and I hope I have it now for the next round,” she said.

“Here on grass, every day you play, every match you play, it’s like a big plus for your game, and you get used more and more.”

Halep faces Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, ranked 97th in the world, in round two after she beat Britain’s Laura Robson.

“I will see what I have to do against her. It’s nothing special. It’s just a match. I have just to do my best tennis to win it,” Halep said.

A smiling Petra Kvitova skipped into the second round, the twice champion beating Johanna Larsson 6-3 6-4 on a sunbathed Centre Court.

Playing only her third event of the year after recovering from a knife attack in December, the Czech 11th seed used her swinging serve to great effect on the main showcourt, signing off with a heavy ace.

Kvitova will next face the winner of the contest between American Madison Brengle and Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands.

The Czech won a warm-up tournament in Birmingham last month, after making her return to tennis at the French Open.