June 29, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 2, 1427

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LONDON, June 28: The top women were in a big hurry at Wimbledon on Wednesday.

Defending champion Venus Williams, former winner Maria Sharapova and top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo all swept their first-round matches in less than an hour _ losing only three games among them.

Williams crushed 103rd-ranked American Bethanie Mattek 6-1, 6-0, in 51 minutes on Centre Court; Sharapova took the same amount of time to dispatch Anna Smashnova, 6-2 , 6-0, and Mauresmo beat Croatian qualifier Ivana Abramovic 6-0, 6-0, in 39 minutes.Second-seeded Kim Clijsters needed even less time to reach the third round: she advanced by walkover after her opponent, Viktoriya Kutuzova, pulled out with a viral infection.

The mismatches didn't help the push for equal prize money at Wimbledon, the only Grand Slam tournament which pays the women's singles champion less than the men. Even British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday he backs the call for equal pay.

She wasted no time Wednesday, overwhelming the 21-year-old Mattek with power, pace and swinging volleys — 26 winners in all — and few sloppy errors.

Williams, Wimbledon champion in 2000, 2001 and 2005, faced only one break point _ which she saved with an ace in the second game of the second set. From there, she won the last 11 points on her serve.

Mattek, making her main draw debut at Wimbledon, had only three winners.

The match featured some unusual fashion displays: Williams sported a stick-on tattoo below the front of her right shoulder, while Mattek wore knee-high socks, shorts, halter top and tube top.

The Minnesota-born Mattek said she bought the socks for 10 pounds (US$18, euro14.30) at Harrod's.

Sharapova unleashed 27 winners against Smashnova, handing the 42nd-ranked Israeli her sixth straight first-round loss at the All England Club.

Mauresmo lost only 17 points against the 192nd-ranked Abramovic, who was playing in her first Grand Slam match.

Mauresmo, a semifinalist at Wimbledon the last three years, dropped only four points on her own serve and held at love in five of six service games. The 22-year-old Abramovic committed 13 unforced errors, including four double faults.

On the men's side, 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt cruised past Italy's Filippo Volandri, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. The man Hewitt beat in the 2002 final, fourth-seeded David Nalbandian, defeated France's Arnaud Clement 6-4 6-4 6-3.

No. 5 Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia won a five-set marathon against Spain's Feliciano Lopez, 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6 11-9.

No. 9 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia became the highest seeded player to go out when he fell 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (8), 6-3 to Colombia's Alejandro Falla. And No. 17 Robby Ginepri was ousted by fellow American Mardy Fish, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

Results:

Women (first round): Venus Williams (USA x6) bt Bethanie Mattek (USA) 6-1, 6-0; Amelie Mauresmo (FRA x1) bt Ivana Abramovic (CRO) 6-0, 6-0; Lisa Raymond (USA) bt Yaroslava Shvedova (RUS) 3-5 ret; Shahar Peer (ISR x20) bt Juliana Fedek (UKR) 6-2, 6-1; Martina Muller (GER) bt Kaia Kanepi (EST) 6-4, 6-4; Laura Granville (USA) bt Maret Ani (EST) 6-1, 7-6 (7/3); Peng Shuai (CHN) bt Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) 6-4, 6-4; Anastasia Myskina (RUS x9) bt Cara Black (ZIM) 6-0, 6-4; Flavia Pennetta (ITA x16) bt Sandra Kloesel (GER) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2; Nicole Pratt (AUS) bt Jarmila Gajdosova (SVK) 6-2, 6-3; Tatiana Golovin (FRA x29) bt Mariana Diaz-Oliva (ARG) 3-6, 6-2, 9-7; Amy Frazier (USA) bt Mara Santangelo (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) bt Katerina Bondarenko (UKR) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3; Melinda Czink (HUN) bt Laura Pous Tio (ESP) 6-3, 6-1; Maria Sharapova (RUS x4) bt Anna Smashnova (ISR) 6-2, 6-0; Melanie South (GBR) bt Francesca Schiavone (ITA x11) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Vania King (USA) bt Julia Vakulenko (UKR) 5-4 ret.

Second round: Kim Clijsters (BEL x2) bt Viktoria Kutuzova (UKR) walkover

Men (first round): Lleyton Hewitt (AUS x6 bt Filippo Volandri (ITA) 6-1, 6-1, 6-3; David Ferrer (ESP x23) bt Simon Stadler (GER) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4; Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Bjorn Phau 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6); Ivan Ljubicic (CRO x5) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 11-9; Mardy Fish (USA) bt Robby Ginepri (USA x17) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4; Dmitry Tursunov (RUS x27) bt Danai Udomchoke (THA) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2; Alberto Martin (ESP) bt Alessio Di Mauro (ITA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-1; Tomas Zib (CZE) bt Albert Montanes (ESP) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (9/7); Melle Van Gemerden (NED) bt Joshua Goodall (GBR) 6-4, 7-5, 7-5; Martin Lee (GBR) bt Dick Norman (BEL) 6-2, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4); Justin Gimelstob (USA) bt Chrisophe Rochus (BEL) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4; Gaston Gaudio (ARG x16) bt Jean-Christophe Faurel (FRA) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4; Irakli Labadze (GEO) bt Alexander Peya (AUT) 6-4, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1.

Second round: David Nalbandian (ARG x4) bt Arnaud Clement (FRA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-3; Roger Federer (SWI) bt Tim Henman (ENG) 6-4, 6-0, 6-2.—Agencies