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| Roger Federer looking dapper in his outfit [GALLO/GETTY] |
As the first round of Wimbledon draws to a close, some new potential challengers have emerged, while others have scraped through by the skin of their teeth.
Roger Federer, the highest-ranked player in the men's draw after Rafael Nadal's withdrawal, eased through his match in straight sets, sending a warning shot to the rest of the draw.
In his newly-designed outfit, including a waistcoat, the Swiss star outclassed Yen-Hsun Lu for the loss of just 10 games.
Dropping a set each on their way into round two were third seed Andy Murray, fourth seed Novak Djokovic and sixth seed Andy Roddick.
No doubt they will all be looking to improve their form ahead of some tricky second round matches, the pick of which is the British number one taking on Ernst Gulbis of Latvia, a country not renowned for tennis, but which is hoping its number one player can cause a major upset.
Safin swansong
Speaking of upsets, the volatile Marat Safin, the Russian former world number one and 14th seed this year, scampered tamely out of his final Wimbledon before retirement.
The American qualifier Jessie Levine, once tipped for greatness he has yet to prove, resigned the double Grand Slam champion to the losers' bin after four sets.
Other seeds to fall early were James Blake (17), Feliciano Lopez (21), Dmitry Tursunov (25) and Nicholas Keifer (33), with Blake's straight-set loss to Italian Andreas Seppi raising the most eyebrows - the American had reached the Queen's Club final just over a week ago, losing to Murray.
Others to watch out for are Benjamin Becker from Germany, who enjoyed a comfortable straight-set win, and the dark horse, Leonardo Mayer, who was in dominant form beating Spaniard Hernandez to love, love and three.
So 128 becomes 64, and with clashes such as Juan Martin del Potro (seeded fifth) taking on former champion Lleyton Hewitt, and veterans Juan Carlos Ferrero and Fabrice Santoro squaring off, the second round promises to be full of fireworks.
Best win: J Levine (Q) def. M Safin (14) 6-2 3-6 7-6 6-4
Upset potential: J M del Potro (5) vs L Hewitt, F Gonzalez (10) vs L Mayer
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| Venus powers through the first round [AFP] |
Sister sledges
Dinara Safina, the top seed in the women's draw, had to work harder than she would have liked in seeing off Lourdes Dominguez Lino, a Spanish entry with a wicked slice.
Prevailing in straight sets, the Russian looked nervy and struggled to cope with the spin coming from the other side of the court.
Will we see her downfall in round two?
The Williams sisters were in ominous form in the first round, and dispatched their opponents in straight sets, despite a Serena second set wobble.
Once again, they look to be the ones to beat in this year's Championship, and it is difficult to see where a challenge will come from, especially as they are seeded to meet in the final.
Maria Sharapova, the 24th seed and a one-time champion, also won through in straight sets on her return to SW19.
Other seeded women fared just as well, with only seven dropping out: Patty Schynder, Alize Cornet (22), Aleksandra Wozniak (23), Kaia Kanepi (25), Sybille Bammer (29), Agnes Szavay (30) and Anna Chakvetadze (32).
Ivanovic through
Former world number one Ana Ivanovic, who has been struggling for form since her French Open success in 2008, saved match points against Lucie Hradecka, prevailing 8-6 in the final set.
The Serb, who did the same in the first round last year against Nathalie Dechy, will be desperate to put a good run together by beating Sara Errani in round two, in no way an easy task.
Also struggling through was Dane Caroline Wozniacki, playing against the oldest player in the draw, former top four player Kimiko Date Krumm.
She was a set and a break down before surging back and taking the tie.
The ninth seed, winner at Eastbourne last week, will need to be more ruthless if she is to progress further.
This youngest player this year joined the oldest in exiting, as Laura Robson lost to Daniela Hantuchova, unseeded this year, despite winning the first set. She is certainly one to watch out for in the future.
Marion Bartoli (12) produced a dominant display, not dropping a game in progressing through, and Victoria Azarenka (8) also looked in good form; they could be dangerous later in the draw.
The round two match between Francesca Schiavone and Michelle Larcher de Brito looks like it could be full of fireworks, and may be one to watch.
Best win: M Bartoli (12) def. C Yuan-Jan 6-0 6-0
Upset potential: S Peer vs N Petrova (10), S Errani vs A Ivanovic (13)
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