Wimbledon PHOTOS: Swiatek powers through; Easy win for Rublev

IMAGES from Day 1 of all the action from the Wimbledon Championships played at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, on Monday.

World number one Iga Swiatek cruised into the Wimbledon second round with a 6-1, 6-3 mauling of China’s Zhu Lin on Monday in a fine start to her quest for a first Grand Slam title on grass.

The 22-year-old Pole, who won the French Open title for the third time last month to make it four Grand Slam crowns, has yet to get past the fourth round of the London major.

Swiatek looked good in her movement on the surface and showed no signs of any effects of the illness that had ruled her out of her Bad Homburg semi-final on Friday.

“I felt really confident. I felt like I did a very good job,” said Swiatek, a former junior champion at Wimbledon. “I feel really good after Roland Garros (French Open). After Roland Garros I took some time to appreciate what happened.

“Last year it was my second Grand Slam (at the French Open) and it felt overwhelming. This time I could focus on celebrating and actually at getting back to work with more peace in my head.”

Zhu, ranked 34th in the world, earned a break point in the first game but Swiatek won 11 points in a row to sprint into a 3-0 lead.

Another break put Swiatek, a renowned slider on clay and hard courts who has often struggled with her movement on grass, firmly in the driving seat.

Zhu saved two set points at 5-0 but Swiatek sealed the first set a game later with a powerful crosscourt forehand winner.

The pair traded breaks early in the second before Swiatek, who pulled out of her Bad Homburg semi-final on Friday due to illness, earned a second one and was 4-3 up when play was interrupted due to rain.

It resumed after the roof on Court One was shut but Swiatek needed only seven minutes to win the two games she needed and sealed victory with a backhand winner.

Rublev leads Russian return with easy win

Andrey Rublev said he was happy to be welcomed back to Wimbledon after becoming the first returning Russian through to the second round by beating Australian Max Purcell on Monday.

The 25-year-old seventh seed looked impressive on a breezy Court Three as he posted a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory.

Rublev is one of 17 Russian and Belarusian players in the men’s and women’s singles draws after they were banned in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a ‘special military operation’.

He was joined by Belarusian former world number one Victoria Azarenka as the women’s 19th seed edged past China’s Yuan Yue 6-4 5-7 6-4 and there was also a win for Russian 12th seed Veronika Kudermetova who beat Estonian veteran Kaia Kanepi.

Wimbledon was the only one of the four Grand Slam tournaments to ban Russian and Belarusian players last year — a decision that resulted in ranking points being taken away from the event by the ATP and WTA Tours.

As part of their return, players from the two nations are playing as neutrals and must sign personal declarations pledging not to support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime.

Players are not allowed to receive state funding or have sponsorship from Russian or Belarusian companies.

Wimbledon’s U-turn, confirmed by All England Club organisers in March, attracted some criticism with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba calling the decision “immoral”.

Rublev, who wrote “No War” on a camera lens at a tournament shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, was given a warm welcome by the crowd on a breezy Court Three.

He looked comfortable on the grass as he proved a class above 64th-ranked Purcell to reach the second round.

“I feel really happy to be back, because in general I didn’t play much Wimbledon or I was injured or was pandemic or then they ban us,” Rublev told reporters.

“So, of course, really special and really happy to be back in London to play at one of the best tournaments and to get a win today was a nice moment.”

Asked about Wimbledon’s ban last year, Rublev, who reached the fourth round in 2021, added: “If we really want to help or do what is better for tennis and for the people, I think obviously there were better options.

“Because in the end, there was no difference. They did only worse to themselves. For sure there were options for everyone. Now we are here and I’m really happy to be back and to compete.”

The 26-year-old Kudermetova said she had received a good reaction from the crowd.

“They support. I think it doesn’t matter from which country you are, we are here just a tennis player, we are here to compete and try to show our best,” she said.

Pegula wins battle of the Americans to advance

American fourth seed Jessica Pegula moved into the second round of Wimbledon with a hard-fought 6-2, 6-7(8), 6-3 win over compatriot Lauren Davis on Monday.

Davis struggled to find her range from the start and was broken in the first game. That set the tone for the next few games as she racked up the unforced errors and Pegula raced into a 4-0 lead in less than 15 minutes.

Davis finally found her forehand power to get on the scoreboard but Pegula’s pinpoint backhand meant she never got close to breaking back. The Australian Open quarter-finalist wrapped up the first set comfortably.

It was a different story in the second set, Davis making sure she held serve in the opening game with a couple of drop shots, forcing Pegula to go long, and held again to lead 2-1.

Both players struggled with a gusty wind at times, but Davis began spraying the ball across the court with power and precision. A close second set lasting over an hour went to a tiebreak, with Davis winning to level the match.

Neither player looked entirely comfortable on the Court Two lawn, each making more than 30 unforced errors in total. But Pegula got the crucial break in the decider to lead 5-3 when Davis hit a backhand into the net.

The world number four closed out the match with a high backhand volley to advance to the second round where she will face either Spain’s Cristina Bucsa or Russian Kamilla Rakhimova.

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