Federer, Nadal in cruise mode

London, june 30

Seven-time champion Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 winner, raced into the Wimbledon second round as the tournament sweltered in near record-breaking heat.

Second seeded Federer, bidding to become the first man to win eight Wimbledon titles and take his Majors tally to 18, enjoyed a 67-minute 6-1 6-3 6-3 win over Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia, the world No. 88 he beat at the French Open this year. “I was happy I played aggressive. I was always going to miss playing that way a little bit but also he hung around,” said the 33-year-old Swiss.

“He changed up his game a little bit which made it a little bit more difficult so it was interesting for me. But I’m very happy, always, to win like that.”

Nadal, defeated in the second, first and fourth rounds in the last three years, reached the second round with a 6-4 6-2 6-4 win over Thomaz Bellucci, his fifth win in five meetings against the 42nd-ranked Brazilian.

Defending women’s champion Petra Kvitova, the second seed, took just 35 minutes to reach the second round, cruising to a 6-1 6-0 win over Kiki Bertens, the world No. 108 from the Netherlands. Kvitova, also the 2011 champion, dropped just one point on serve and next meets Kurumi Nara of Japan for a place in the last 32.

“It’s great to be back on Centre Court and unbelievable to see all the people clapping,” said the Czech, who had been laid low by illness in the week before the tournament.

Joining Kvitova in the second round was 10th seeded German Angelique Kerber who handed compatriot Carina Witthoeft a 6-0 6-0 drubbing. Kerber, a semifinalist in 2012 and who won the Birmingham tournament on grass in the run-up to Wimbledon, took just 45 minutes to clinch victory, firing 21 winners past the world No. 53. It was the third “double bagel” result of the women’s first round.

Murray battles through testing opener

Andy Murray was given an unexpected run for his money in his first-round clash against Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin, but still came through 6-4 7-6(3) 6-4.

The third seed looked on course to cruise through when he broke in the 10th game to clinch the first set and immediately broke again to take a 2-0 lead in the second. But the Kazakh fought back to lead 6-5 with the chance to serve for the set. He could not hold his nerve, however, dropped serve and was beaten in the tiebreak.

French 13th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was probably wishing for a few clouds on this hot day after he spent more than four hours to see off Luxemburg’s Gilles Muller 7-6(8) 6-7(3) 6-4 3-6 6-2.

2014 runner-up Bouchard, Halep shown the door

Eugenie Bouchard’s fall from grace continued with a first-round defeat by China’s Duan Yingying as her hopes of repeating last year’s run to the final evaporated. The Canadian 12th seed, crushed by Petra Kvitova in last year’s showpiece, was beaten 7-6(3) 6-4 and her ranking will now slide considerably. Since reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January she has suffered eight first-round defeats.

Third-seeded Romanian Simona Halep was knocked out by Jana Cepelova of Slovakia. Halep, who reached the semifinals 12 months ago, was beaten 5-7 6-4 6-3.

The 22-year-old Cepelova, ranked 106 in the world, had won only one match on the tour all year before Tuesday. — Agencies

Major Results (Round 1)

Men 

2-Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt Damir Dzumhur (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 6-1 6-3 6-3; 10-Rafa Nadal (Spain) bt Thomaz Bellucci (Brazil) 6-4 6-2 6-4; 3-Andy Murray (Britain) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) 6-4 7-6(3) 6-4; 15-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) bt Steve Darcis (Belgium) 6-2 7-6(4) 6-4; 13-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) bt Gilles Muller (Luxembourg) 7-6(8) 6-7(3) 6-4 3-6 6-2 

Women 

2-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) bt Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) 6-1 6-0; 10-Angelique Kerber (Germany) bt Carina Witthoeft (Germany) 6-0 6-0; 28-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) bt Elena Vesnina (Russia) 6-4 3-6 10-8; Jana Cepelova (Slovakia) bt 3-Simona Halep (Romania) 5-7 6-4 6-3; 13-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) bt Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-2; Duan Yingying (China) bt 12-Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) 7-6(3) 6-4

Umbrellas up at Wimbledon — to keep the sun off

As is so often the case, the weather was the number one topic of conversation at Wimbledon on Tuesday but for once it was not the prospect of rain that brought out the umbrellas but a beating sun on what was forecast to be the hottest day of the year. Afternoon temperatures were expected to reach 30 degrees Celsius — considerably higher on court — and the public address announcers were busy warning fans to drink water, apply sunscreen and wear hats. Almost all the outside courts offer no shade at all and even the show courts are exposed to the sun’s full glare for most of the afternoon. Organisers will be pleased, however, with their decision to install an additional six ice baths in the locker rooms this year. Normally used for post-exercise recovery, players are being advised to have a pre-match dip ahead their matches. The players seemed somewhat bemused to be asked about how they were dealing with the conditions. “It is not Rio, it’s not Australia,” said Rafa Nadal, who was brought up on the holiday island of Majorca. “I can’t think of a more perfect day to play tennis.” His long-time rival Roger Federer agreed. “It was not hot, it was nice,” Federer said. “Just perfect playing conditions. It was wonderful.” Wednesday’s temperatures are expected to be even higher. — Reuters