Federer, Williams hot in Wimbledon openers
WIMBLEDON, England – The tennis went mostly as expected on a sunny day on Monday at Wimbledon.
Roger Federer, Serena Williams and new women’s No. 1 Ana Ivanovic won in straight sets. Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic also eased into the second round, while American men went 1-4.
The top-ranked Federer began his bid for a sixth consecutive Wimbledon title by winning the first match on Centre Court. He won the first 11 points and beat former doubles partner Dominik Hrbaty 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
During a changeover one game from the finish, the 30-year-old Hrbaty broke with protocol by wandering over to the seated Federer.
“I looked over and there he was,” Federer said. “He asked if he could sit next to me. I said, ‘Sure. There’s no problem. There’s an extra seat.’ We go way back. … He said it might be his last Wimbledon, so it was almost a little bit emotional.”
Said Hrbaty: “If it had been someone else, I wouldn’t have done it. … We’ve had a lot of good times together. I just wanted to tell him he’s a great friend of mine, and I appreciate that.”
Federer extended his grass-court winning streak to 60 matches, including 35 at the All England Club.
Williams’ match, a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, provided a bit of drama when she faced a break point serving at 5-all in the first set. But Williams endured the onslaught and took charge after Kanepi, who reached the French Open quarterfinals, double-faulted to end the first set.
It was not the match so much but rather Williams’ warmup attire that drew notice. In the post-match press conference, Williams fielded five queries about the stylish white trench coat she wore onto the court.
The match was the first for the Williams sisters since they lost on the same day in the third round at the French Open. They flew from France to Florida and prepared for grass by hitting on hard-courts.
The unorthodox preparation for Wimbledon is standard for the sisters and not to be questioned – they’ve won the title six of the past eight years.
“We just go home and practice in the hot sun,” said Serena, who is seeded sixth. “We’re so ready to leave Florida. We’re like, ‘We’re going to do anything we can to stay at the tournament as long as we can so we don’t have to go back in that heat.’ “
Defending champion Venus Williams begins her bid for a fifth Wimbledon title today when she faces wild card Naomi Cavaday of Britain.
Ivanovic played her first match as the No. 1 woman and French Open champion, and the 20-year-old Serb seemed comfortable in the new role, beating Rossana de Los Rios 6-1, 6-2.
Fellow Serb Djokovic bounced back from a bad set to beat Michael Berrer 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0.
The highest-seeded player to lose was No. 7 David Nalbandian, eliminated by Canadian Frank Dancevic 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. Lleyton Hewitt beat Robin Haase and two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin also won.
The only American woman to join Williams in the second round was Bethanie Mattek, who rallied past Severine Bremond 5-7, 6-0, 6-1. Ashley Harkleroad lost to 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo 6-4, 6-3.
The lone U.S. male to win was Bobby Reynolds, who advanced when Filippo Volandri retired with a sore left knee after losing the first two sets. Eliminated were Vince Spadea, Kevin Kim and 2008 Olympians Sam Querrey and Robby Ginepri.
The three highest-ranked Americans – Andy Roddick, James Blake and Mardy Fish – are scheduled to play their opening matches today.