Rafa and Serena up and running
RAFANadal needed a few games to adjust his sights for grass court combat at Wimbledon, but Serena Williams quickly found her range as the two former champions moved safely into the second round yesterday.
Spaniard Nadal, looking to reclaim the title he won in 2008 and 2010, found himself 4-0 down against Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci on Centre Court before a barrage of heavy hitting took him to a 7-6 6-2 6-3 victory in two hours 15 minutes.
Williams, the day after her sister Venus was bundled out in the first round, restored family honour with a 6-2 6-4 defeat of battling Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.
Home favourite Andy Murray also impressed, thrashing former world No 3 Nikolay Davydenko for the loss of six games.
Wildcard Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion, lost 6-3 6-4 6-4 to French fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while 20th seed Bernard Tomic was beaten 3-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 by Belgian wildcard David Goffin.
Women’s defending champion Petra Kvitova had the honour of opening Centre Court proceedings on what is traditionally Ladies Day at the All England Club.
Like Nadal, she also took a while to find her rhythm before beating Uzbekistan’s Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4 6-4 in a lowkey match interrupted by the first raindrops of the week.
Rain returned later in the day to leave Caroline Wozniacki and Andy Roddick with first-round matches to complete today.
Deposed world No 1 Victoria Azarenka was untroubled against Irina Falconi, screaming to a 6-1 6-4 victory, while former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, the 24th seed, survived a scare against home favourite Laura Robson before winning 2-6 6-2 6-4.
Second seed Nadal, who has never lost in the first round of a Grand Slam, admitted that he was a touch fortunate to progress in three sets against the 80thranked Bellucci.
“I think today I didn’t play my best match,” Nadal, looking for his third French Open/Wimbledon double, told reporters.
“The first set I played little bit too nervous, little bit not knowing exactly what to do. My movements were defensive.
“But I was able to win the first set. Then I started to play better,” added Nadal, who ended the news conference answering questions about Spain’s chances against Portugal in the Euro semi-final tonight.
Serena, whose career has teetered on the brink since she collected her fourth Wimbledon singles title in 2010, was given a decent workout by Strycova on Court Two.
The fired-up 30-year-old let out a roar when she closed out the match and looked in the mood to fly the Williams flag throughout the fortnight after five-times champion Venus's disheartening display.
“Definitely a little relief. I think I was letting out a lot of cries. I was happy to get through that,” said Williams, who reached the fourth round last year after returning from a careerthreatening foot injury and health issues.
Whether she was happy to be sent packing out to the intimate Court Two was a question she swerved.
Murray looked to have drawn the short straw when his name came out with Davydenko’s in the draw, but the Briton made mincemeat of the Russian, winning 6-1 6-1 6-4.
Saddled yet again with ending Britain’s interminable wait for a men’s champion at Wimbledon, which stretches back to 1936, Murray looked in fine fettle with a dominant display.
“It was a good start, and I knew obviously when I drew him I was going to need to start the tournament well,” Murray said.
The highest seed to tumble on a routine day of action was No 14 Feliciano Lopez, who lost to Finn Jarkko Nieminen.
Australian men once dominated Wimbledon. This year they failed to win a match.
Aussies went 0 for 4, including a loss Tuesday by 2002 champion Hewitt. That means no Australian man in the second round, the first time that has happened since 1938.
During a 12-year span from 1960 to 1971, Australians won the Wimbledon men’s title 10 times. But in recent years they’ve experienced a decline similar to the US, with Latin Americans, eastern Europeans and Asians increasingly competitive as tennis becomes more global.
Hewitt’s 14th Wimbledon appearance was brief with Tsonga in charge. Aussies Bernard Tomic and Matthew Ebden also lost yesterday.
“The boys didn’t have the best day,” Hewitt said.
Tomic, who reached the quarter-finals last year as an 18-yearold qualifier, lost to David Goffin. Ebden was beaten by Benoit Paire.
Another Australian, Marinko Matosevic, lost to Xavier Malisse on Monday.
Hewitt said tough draws were partly to blame for the shutout. – Reuters