LONDON, June 28, 2016
The bottom half of the men’s draw was in first round action on Day 2 of the All England Championships.
World number two Andy Murray started his quest for a second Wimbledon title with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 victory over wild card Liam Broady. In the first all-British encounter at a Grand Slam since the 2006 US-Open and the first time in Wimbledon since 2001, Murray didn’t lose his service, breaking his opponent four times to prevail in one hour and 42 minutes.
“The first match is always tricky and it was pretty breezy out there at the beginning. We’ve practised together in the past. It’s not easy playing someone you know, so I did ok,” Murray said and added:
“I thought I did some good stuff offensively. Maybe defensively I could have done a little better but first round matches are always a little tricky.
“At the start of the match we are both just trying to win. Liam played better as the match went on. He fought right through to the end and played some good stuff. It was a good experience for him.
“It was definitely different [with the crowd supporting both players]. The crowd is always very fair here. They got behind both players. Liam got good support and when he left the court he got a nice ovation too.”
Murray will next take on Yen-Hsun Lu. The 32-year-old from Taipei defeated Alexander Kudryavtsev 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 32 minutes.
Stan Wawrinka, who has lost in the first round of Wimbledon five times, avoided another early upset. The two-time Grand Slam champion from Switzerland was tested by US-American youngster Taylor Fritz but eventually survived, winning 7-6, 6-1, 6-7, 6-4 in two hours and 23 minutes.
“Everybody’s looking for the new generation. Taylor is already No. 60 in the world. It’s quite impressive to be there already. He has a lot of potential and a big chance to be higher in the next few years,” said Wawrinka.
“I’m focused match after match. I know if I can start to win few matches, I can be dangerous.”
Wawrinka is set to face with Juan Martin Del Potro another tough opponent in the second round. The 27-year-old Argentine has returned to Grand Slam action for the first time since the 2014 Australian Open, beating French veteran Stephane Robert 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 in one hour and 31 minutes. It will be the pair’s sixth tour meeting, the first since 2012 with the Argentine winning the latest three encounters.
“I am feeling so glad to play at Wimbledon again,” said del Potro. “I had great supporters today at my match. Everywhere I’m playing, the fans are supporting me a lot. They don’t care if I win or lose. They just want to see me playing again. That’s great for me.”
There will be another highly entertaining second round encounter when Nick Kyrgios is taking on Dustin Brown. The 15th seed from Australia fired 25 aces to overcome 37-year-old Czech Radek Stepanek in two hours and 25 minutes. Brown fought past Dusan Lajovic 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and seven minutes.
Kyrgios hit the shot of the day: “I practice it a fair bit,” he told.
Tweener lob winner?
All in a day’s work for @NickKyrgios…#Wimbledon https://t.co/cTOyotcRHa
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) 28. Juni 2016
The highly expected encounter between Mercedes Cup winner Dominic Thiem and Gerry Weber Open champion Florian Mayer was suspended due to bad weather with the German leading 2-1 on serve in the opening set. Play will resume on Wednesday.
