London: Roger Federer began his campaign for an eighth Wimbledon title Tuesday with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Paolo Lorenzi, the hapless Italian who has now lost all of his 13 Grand Slam matches.
Fourth-seeded Federer had lost to Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovksy in the second round 12 months ago for his earliest defeat at the tournament since 2002. But there was never a hint of a repeat of that disaster on Tuesday as the 32-year-old Swiss took victory on a sixth match point having fired nine aces and 36 winners. But his run of 13 defeats in 13 matches at the majors is not a record that statistic of shame belongs to Costa Rica’s Juan Antonio Marin who lost all of his 17 matches at the majors.
Defeat for Lorenzi meant the 32-year-old has still to win a match at a Grand Slam in 11 years. But his run of 13 defeats in 13 matches at the majors is not a record that statistic of shame belongs to Costa Rica's Juan Antonio Marin who lost all of his 17 matches at the majors.
Federer’s compatriot, Australian Open winner Stan Wawrinka also reached the second round with a first win at the tournament since 2011. Wawrinka fired 18 aces and 39 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win over Portugal’s Joao Sousa.
Wawrinka tackles Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun for a place in the last 32. Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion, and like Federer playing his 61st major, beat Michal Przysiezny of Poland, 6-2, 6-7 (14/16), 6-1, 6-4.
Rafael Nadal came through a rocky start to his Wimbledon campaign on Tuesday to set up a second round revenge clash with his All England Club nemesis Lukas Rosol.
Nadal lost the first set to Slovakia’s Martin Klizan but recovered to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. Rosol had stunned the two-time champion in 2012 in the second round.
Ruthless Sharapova
French Open champion Maria Sharapova started her bid to win a second Wimbledon title with a ruthless 6-1, 6-0 demolition of British wild card Samantha Murray on Tuesday.
Russian fifth seed Sharapova, celebrating the 10th anniversary of her famous victory over Serena Williams as a 17-year-old in the 2004 Wimbledon final, was back in action for the first time since her triumph in Paris.
Lisicki was untroubled against Glushko, the world number 79, winning 6-2, 6-1 in just 57 minutes.
Other early winners on Tuesday were German 20th seed Andrea Petkovic, a semi-finalist at the French Open, who eased past Katarzyna Piter of Poland, 6-1, 6-4, and former world number one Caroline Wozniacki who beat Israel’s Shahar Peer 6-3, 6-0.
Polish fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska beat Romania’s Andreea Mitu 6-2, 6-1.
Somdev bows out
Somdev Devvarman battled hard for more than three hours but had to swallow yet another bitter first-round defeat as he bowed out of the Wimbledon championships after losing his marathon opening match to 15th seeded Polish Jerzy Janowicz, here on Tuesday.
Somdev’s 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6 defeat was his 10th first round defeat in his last 13 tournaments as he has been struggling since winning the Delhi Open in February.
