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Wimbledon: Djokovic, Serena progress, Hewitt falls

By Tobi Awodipe
30 June 2015   |   3:20 am
The male and female world number ones kick started their respective campaigns with routine straight set wins in their opening matches. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic broke Philip Kohlschreiber of Germany in each set to take the match 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, just under two hours. The game was expected to be a tough one and it was,…
US player Serena Williams returns against Russia's Margarita Gasparyan during their women's singles first round match on day one of the 2015 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 29, 2015.  Williams won 6-4, 6-1. (AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL)

US player Serena Williams returns against Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan during their women’s singles first round match on day one of the 2015 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 29, 2015. Williams won 6-4, 6-1. (AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL)

The male and female world number ones kick started their respective campaigns with routine straight set wins in their opening matches.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic broke Philip Kohlschreiber of Germany in each set to take the match 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, just under two hours.

The game was expected to be a tough one and it was, with both players exchanging breaks in the first and third sets. Djokovic, who came out on top at the end of the match, kissed the grass to show how much the straight sets victory meant to him.

He will face Jarkko Nienimen for his next match, who defeated Lleyton Hewitt in a tough five set match. Hewitt, a former world number one and Wimbledon champion, is playing his last Wimbledon and is due to retire next year.

Fernando Verdasco survived a tough five-set battle against Martin Klizan to win his opening match, which lasted almost four hours. Another interesting five-setter was the win by the British teenager, Liam Broady, who defeated Australian, Marinko Matosevic under four hours as well.

There were, however, no surprises for the men, as all the seeds expected to advance, did.

This wasn’t the case of the WTA, however, as several seeds were ousted on day 1.

Flavia Pennetta, Francesca Schiavone and Roberta Vinci bowed out very quickly, but the biggest upset of the day was the defeat of ninth-seeded Carla Suarez-Navarro. She suffered one of the worst defeats of her career in recent times, going down 6-2, 6-0 to wild card teenager, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.

Ostapenko is ranked outside the top 150 players on the tour and is making her Wimbledon main draw debut for the first time ever.

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