Andy Roddick and Serena Williams led a super-powered United States surge at Wimbledon on Wednesday as American players continued to salvage a reputation so badly damaged at the French Open.
American men suffered their worst-ever performance on the Roland Garros clay, making the grass of the All England Club even more of a welcome sight this year.
Roddick, beaten in the first round in Paris, has twice been a Wimbledon runner-up, and he eased into the third round on Wednesday with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) over Thailand’s Asian Games champion Danai Udomchoke.
Williams, the women’s champion in 2002 and 2003 and a quarterfinalist at the French Open, also made the third round with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 win over Australia’s Alicia Molik.
Veteran American Laura Granville put out Austrian 20th seed Sybille Bammer 6-1, 6-4 to reach the third round while compatriot Meilen Tu booked her place in the second round with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Romania’s Edina Gallovits.
Tu now faces French Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic, the sixth seed, who beat Melinda Czink 6-0, 7-6 (7/3).
Despite her defeat in Paris, Ivanovic said the reception she received in Belgrade, along with fellow Serbian semifinalists Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic after the tournament, had been outstanding.
”After Paris, we were treated really well. In Belgrade, we were taken to the Parliament building and it was a great honour,” said Ivanovic.
”Usually it’s the Serbian teams like the basketball players who are invited so for individual sportsmen to be invited was a great honour.”
Meanwhile, China’s hopes in the women’s singles came to an end when Yan Zi, half of the women’s doubles winning team here in 2006, lost 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to Italian 21st seed Tathiana Garbin.
The result meant all three Chinese women had been eliminated in the first round, 12 months after Li Na had made history by becoming the first player from her country to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Later on Wednesday, Roger Federer, who is seeking to win a fifth successive Wimbledon title, faces Argentinian teenager Juan-Martin del Potro in his second-round clash.
French Open champion and women’s top seed Justine Henin meets experienced Russian Vera Dushevina.
Britain’s Tim Henman, fresh from his epic five-set win over Carlos Moya in the first round, makes a quick return to Centre Court where he duels with another Spaniard, Feliciano Lopez.
Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureishi, the world 279 and who came through qualifying, has the huge task of trying to defeat former world number one Marat Safin.
Qureshi is the first Pakistani player to reach the second round since Haroon Rahim in 1976. — AFP
