LONDON, July 2 (Reuters) – Marketa Vondrousova became the first defending Wimbledon women’s champion to fall at the first hurdle for 30 years as she was bundled out by Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Tuesday.
The Czech sixth seed slumped to a 6-4 6-2 defeat as her reign ended with a whimper and there was also crushing disappointment for two-time champion Andy Murray.
For the 37-year-old British favourite, what seemed set to be a last hurrah on his beloved Centre Court was scuppered again by his injury curse, withdrawing from the singles as the gates opened for day two of the Championships.
Murray accepted that his race against time had been lost after an operation to remove a spinal cyst, withdrawing from his match against Czech Tomas Machac, but might yet get to write the final chapter of his fabled Wimbledon chronicle with his brother Jamie in the doubles later this week.
While Murray will probably call time on his illustrious career after the Olympics, his old adversary Novak Djokovic displayed no signs of problems with his knee as he launched his quest to win a record 25th Grand Slam title impressively.
Serbia’s Djokovic had surgery following his decision to pull out at the French Open and missed Wimbledon; however, the seven-time champion was razor sharp as he crushed Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva 6-1 6-2 6-2.
“Practice week went great, but an official match on Centre Court is completely different,” said Djokovic, who risked a breach of Wimbledon’s all-white clothing policy with a grey knee support in his opening match.
“I didn’t know how I would feel or how the knee would hold up but for an opening match I couldn’t ask for a better start.”
SWIATEK ‘RUSTY’
Light rain disrupted play on a couple of occasions but it did not interfere with women’s top seed Iga Swiatek, who came through a dangerous first-round against American Sofia Kenin under the Court One roof.
The former Australian Open champion gave five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek a good fight before the Pole emerged victorious 6-3 6-4.
“Felt a little bit rusty, but I’m happy that I’m through to the second round,” Swiatek, who has won four French Opens but is yet to really make her mark at Wimbledon, said.
“When you switch to any surface, first couple of matches are not going to be comfortable and you have to accept that.”
Vondrousova became the first unseeded woman to win the women’s title last year but earned the far less welcome accolade after a miserable display against Bouzas Maneiro who picked the perfect time to earn her first Grand Slam victory.
The Czech had been troubled by a hip injury but refused to cite that as excuse for her defeat.
“Today I was really nervous since the start. I couldn’t shake it off,” she said.
Russian Andrey Rublev became the highest men’s seed to fall as the world number six was sensationally beaten by Francisco Comesana of Argentina on his Grand Slam debut.
Rublev thumped his racket into his own leg in frustration as he went down 6-4 5-7 6-2 7-6(5).
French Open runner-up Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed, made light work of Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena, while Polish seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz eased past qualifier Radu Albot.
Elena Rybakina, last year’s women’s champion, got off to a flier as she trounced qualifier Elena Gabriela Ruse while American fifth seed Jessica Pegula dropped only two games in dispatching Ashlyn Krueger, and Britain’s number one Katie Boulter came through against experienced Tatjana Maria.