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LONDON: Defending champion Serena Williams, who described her recent struggles against life-threatening blood clots as like being on her death bed, broke down in tears on Tuesday on her Wimbledon return.
The four-time winner, watched by US pop superstar Diana Ross and England’s Ashes-winning cricketers in the Royal Box, battled past Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in what was only her third match in 11 months.
“I usually don’t cry, I don’t understand it. It’s been so hard, I never dreamt I’d be here,” said Williams, whose traumatic year started with a foot injury and then continued with emergency surgery to removed blood clots on her lungs.
Meanwhile, six-time men’s champion Roger Federer barely broke sweat in clinching a 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan.
Third-seeded Federer suffered a shock quarter-final exit against Tomas Berdych last year, but never looked in trouble against tournament debutant Kukushkin.
The Swiss star, holder of a record 16 Grand Slam titles, fired down 12 aces and unleashed 53 winners in his quickfire Centre Court win.
Three-time finalist Andy Roddick eased into the second round with a 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 over German qualifier Andreas Beck, while former US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro beat Flavio Cipolla 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.
On a day when 95 singles matches were due to be played because of Monday’s torrential downpours, second seed Novak Djokovic begins against Jeremy Chardy of France.
Women’s world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki raced into the second round as she routed Spain’s Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-2, 6-1, taking just 59 minutes to demolish the world No 105.
Former world No 1 Jelena Jankovic, the 15th seed, slumped to a first round loss, going down to Spanish left-hander Maria Jose Martinez 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
Results (prefix number denotes seeding):
Men’s singles:
First round: 20-Florian Mayer (Germany) bt Daniel Evans (Britain) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 6-4; Karol Beck (Slovakia) bt Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; Andreas Seppi (Italy) bt Albert Montanes (Spain) 6-4, 6-4, 7-5; 13-Viktor Troicki (Serbia) bt Maximo Gonzalez (Argentina) 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3; 3-Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-2; Xavier Malisse (Belgium) bt Mischa Zverev (Germany) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2; Lukasz Kubot (Poland) bt Arnaud Clement (France) 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 6-4; Bernard Tomic (Australia) bt 29-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) 7-5, 6-3, 7-5; 21-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) bt Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), 9-7; Lu Yen-hsun (Taiwan) bt Tommy Robredo (Spain) 6-4, 6-4, 6-1; Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) bt 27-Marin Cilic (Croatia) 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Victor Hanescu (Romania) bt Jaroslav Pospisil (Czech Republic) 6-4, 6-3, 6-2; 24-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) bt Flavio Cipolla (Italy) 6-1, 6-4, 6-3; 8-Andy Roddick (US) bt Andreas Beck (Germany) 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3; Tobias Kamke (Germany) bt Blaz Kavcic (Slovenia) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-1; 26-Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) bt Andrey Golubev (Kazakhstan) 6-3, 6-3, 0-0 – Golubev retired; Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) bt 23-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) 7-5, 3-1 – Tipsarevic retired; 25-Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) bt Marinko Matosevic (Australia) 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2; 15-Gilles Simon (France) bt Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3); Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) bt Daniel Cox (Britain) 6-2, 6-4, 6-4; Robin Haase (Netherlands) bt Pere Riba (Spain) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Women’s singles:
First round: 4-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 6-4, 3-2 — Rybarikova retired; Elena Baltacha (Britain) bt Mona Barthel (Germany) 6-2, 6-4; 1-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) bt Arantxa Parra Santonja (Spain) 6-2, 6-1; 25-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) bt Vitalia Diatchenko (Russia) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3; Petra Martic (Croatia) bt Vania King (US) 5-7, 6-2, 6-2; 7-Serena Williams (US) bt Aravane Rezai (France) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) bt 15-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3; Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) bt Alize Cornet (France) 7-5, 6-2; Virginie Razzano (France) bt Sania Mirza (India) 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-3; 14-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) bt Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-4, 7-6 (7-3); Tamira Paszek (Austria) bt Ayumi Morita (Japan) 5-7, 6-3, 6-0; Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) bt Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) 7-6 (9-7), 6-4; 11-Andrea Petkovic (Germany) bt Stephanie Foretz Gacon (France) 6-3, 6-4; Anne Keothavong (Britain) bt Naomi Broady (Britain) 6-2, 6-4; Rebecca Marino (Canada) bt Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (Austria) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5); 29-Roberta Vinci (Italy) bt Vera Dushevina (Russia) 7-5, 6-2; Nadia Petrova (Russia) bt Vesna Dolonts (Russia) 6-3, 6-4; Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) bt Chang Kai-chen (Taiwan) 6-4, 6-2; Simona Halep (Romania) bt Bojana Jovanovski (Serbia) 6-1, 6-2; Stephanie Dubois (Canada) bt Irina Falconi (US) 6-2, 6-2; 8-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) bt Alexa Glatch (US) 6-2, 6-2; 32-Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) bt Camila Giorgi (Italy) 6-2, 6-1.
Monday’s remaining result: Men’s singles: First round: 4-Andy Murray (Britain) bt Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-0.—Agencies
