World number one Rafael Nadal and three-time champion Novak Djokovic had an easy first round win on Tuesday, July 3 but there was no such luck for either Maria Sharapova or Petra Kvitova who were both ousted in their openers.
Roger Federer has named Nadal as one of the favourites to challenge for the 2018 Wimbledon title and the Spaniard looked to have lived up to the top billing with a dominating 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over Dudi Sela of Israel.
Nadal needed less than two hours to get past his Israeli opponent after breaking him six times during the match and handing down 31 winners.
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This was not too different from the three-time Wimbledon winner Djokovic, who had no difficulties crushing the debutant Tennys Sandgren aside with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 victory.
Unfortunately for the French Open runner-up Dominic Thiem, he went out in the first round to injury as he conceded his encounter to Marcos Baghdatis.
Sharapova, who had won the Wimbledon title in 2004 and has four other Grand Slam titles under her belt, lasted three sets in her first round match against qualifier Vitalia Diatchenko before succumbing to her despite being in pole position at one stage.
The Russian 24th seed had taken the first set and was 5-2 up in the second but fellow countrywoman Diatchenko came back strongly to take the second set to a tie-breaker which she won. She then won the final set 6-4 to register a tough but exciting win.
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Kvitova looked uncomfortable from the word go and while she levelled the match in the second set, she was taken to the cleaners in the final set by Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Sasnovich won 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.
Defending champion Garbine Muguruza was stretched but completed a straight set win over Naomi Broady while former teenage sensation Belinda Bencic defeated sixth seed Caroline Garcia 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 in another first round match at Wimbledon.
French Open winner Simona Halep, who is the top seed in this competition, went past Japan’s Kurumi Nara 6-2, 6-4 to open her campaign with a comfortable win.
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