LONDON, June 18: Top seed Lleyton Hewitt faces a tricky opening to his Wimbledon campaign next week after being drawn against Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman in the first round.

Women’s top seed and twice defending champion Venus Williams was also given a relatively straightforward passage through to the second round as she will take on unheralded British wildcard Jane O’Donoghue.

Australian Hewitt, winner at the grasscourt Stella Artois Championships last week, will have his work cut out against doubles specialist Bjorkman, who is comfortable on grass having reached the fourth round twice.

Seven-times champion Pete Sampras, 1992 winner Andre Agassi and 1996 champion Richard Krajicek — returning to the All England Club after 18 months out of tennis with an elbow injury — all line up in the bottom half along with second seed Marat Safin.

Safin faces former finalist Cedric Pioline, of France, in his first-round match while Agassi will play Israel’s Harel Levy.—Reuters