Returning to his favourite stage and resuming his dominant ways on grass, Roger Federer started his bid for a sixth straight Wimbledon title yesterday by sweeping Dominik Hrbaty in straight sets on a sunbathed Centre Court.
In keeping with tradition, Federer had the honour of opening play on the main stadium court as defending champion at the 122nd Wimbledon championships. He seemed right at home as he beat Hrbaty 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 for his 60th straight grass-court win and 35th consecutive victory at the All England Club.
A few minutes before Federer closed out his match, two-time women's champion Serena Williams completed a harder-than-expected 7-5, 6-3 win on Court 1 over Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.
Following Federer on Centre Court was top-seeded woman Ana Ivanovic, who beat Rossana de Los Rios of Paraguay 6-1, 6-2 in less than an hour in her first match since winning the French Open and taking over the No. 1 ranking. The Serbian player never faced a break point and ripped 13 baseline winners.
Among the men, No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic – the Australian Open champion who could face Federer in the semi-finals - overcame a poor second set on Centre Court and beat Michael Berrer 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0. Djokovic dropped the last five games of the second set against the German left-hander, but won the next three games while dropping only one point and cruised the rest of the way.
Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 winner and only champion in the men's draw other than Federer, labored for 3 1/2 hours to subdue Robin Haase in five sets, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-2. The 20th-seeded Australian, who has been slowed by a chronic hip injury, never lost serve and celebrated a key break in the fifth with a trademark flurry of uppercuts fist pumps.
Federer, who loves the traditions of the game, walked onto Centre Court at 1pm in retro fashion – donning a herringbone-pattern, four-button cardigan with gold trim and a stylized F on a badge on his left chest. The insignia on the buttons represent his five Wimbledon titles.
On Court 1, Williams made a fashion statement of her own. She came on wearing a white belted, thigh-length raincoat, or Mackintosh. But there was no rain in sight, so she hung the jacket on her chair. Kanepi, meanwhile, wore dark sunglasses throughout the match.
The 30-year-old Hrbaty, playing his 12th Wimbledon, had beaten Federer in their only two previous meetings - in 2000 and 2004. But the Slovakian player, who had elbow surgery last year, has slipped to No. 273 in the rankings and had won only two matches this year on the top-tier tour.
Federer will next face big-serving Swede Robin Soderling, who beat Kevin Kim of the United States 7-5, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4.
In other men's matches, 10th seeded Marcos Baghdatis – a semi-finalist in 2006 and quarter-finalist last year – moved into the second round by beating Steve Darcis of Belgium, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3.
Also advancing among the women was No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, who overcame Mathilde Johansson of France 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3. Five lower seeded women went out, including No. 12 Patty Schnyder. The Swiss player, who reached the fourth round last year, lost to Australia's Casey Dellacqua 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
Defending women's champion Venus Williams begins a bid for her fifth Wimbledon title today against wild card entry Naomi Cavaday of Britain.