[1]Andy Roddick, runner-up last year, recovered from losing his opening set on Wednesday to reach the third round at Wimbledon, while former top-ranked players Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin of Belgium advanced.
Roddick, 27, who also lost in the 2004 and 2005 finals — all to Roger Federer — beat France’s Michael Llodra 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) on Centre Court.
Clijsters, playing at the only grass-court Grand Slam for the first time since 2006, beat Croatia’s Karolina Sprem 6-3, 6- 2. Henin, a semifinalist in her most-recent appearance in 2007, defeated Germany’s Kristina Barrois 6-3, 7-5.
Clijsters and Henin both retired from the sport before making comebacks in 2009 and 2010. Neither has won the title at the All England Club, although both have held the top ranking in the world.
Venus Williams of the US, a five-time winner here, also eased Venus into the third round as she defeated Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova 6-0, 6-4.
Switzerland’s Federer, the men’s top-seed, faces Serbia’s Ilija Bozoljac as he continues his bid to tie Pete Sampras’s Open-era men’s record of seven titles at Wimbledon.
In other matches, Shahar Peer, the No. 13 seed from Israel, lost to Angelique Kerber of Germany, while No. 30 seed Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan also lost. France’s Marion Bartoli, seeded 11, won when her opponent, Croatia’s Petra Martic, withdrew.
In the men’s draw, 2002 winner Lleyton Hewitt of Australia advanced after Kazakhstan’s Evgeny Korolev quit their match in the third set.
Meanwhile late on Tuesday, Spanish eighth seed Fernando Verdasco crashed out of the first round after losing 7-6 (9), 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4 to Italy’s Fabio Fognini.
Swedish sixth seed Robin Soderling routed America’s Robby Ginepri 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.
British fourth seed Andy Murray advanced to the second round at Wimbledon with a 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 win against the Czech Republic’s Jan Hajek.
Somdev falls
to Bopanna
Somdev Devvarman’s Wimbledon campaign did not last long as the Indian and his Philippine partner Treat Conrad Huey went down to the Indo-Pakistani pair of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi in the first round of the men’s doubles event.
Somdev, who could not make it to the main draw in singles, fought tooth and nail but Bopanna and Qureshi in good stead as they chalked out a hard-fought 3-6 7-5 6-3 7-6 (8/6) win in court 8. —Agencies
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/sp06241jpg-953