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Djokovic wins opener; as does British 772nd-ranked qualifier

 
Published June 28, 2016

LONDON — Novak Djokovic raced to a 6-0, 3-0 lead, then held firm the rest of the way as he opened his bid for a third straight Wimbledon title and fifth straight Grand Slam championship with a straight-set win over James Ward on Monday.

Djokovic played the first match on Centre Court as the men's defending champion, and he came through 6-0, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 in just over two hours to extend his Grand Slam winning streak to 29 matches.

"This is probably the most unique experience in tennis playing as the defending champion in Wimbledon — untouched grass, first match, 1 o'clock Monday," Djokovic said. "It's really special to feel this tradition and history."

Djokovic ran off the first nine games against Ward, ranked 177th in the world and granted a wild-card entry into the grass-court Grand Slam. When Ward finally won a game, hitting a service winner to make it 3-1 in the second set, the Briton threw up his arm in mock triumph and basked in a loud ovation.

While Djokovic reasserted the established order, a British qualifier ranked 772nd in the world and playing his first tour-level match shook things up.

Marcus Willis, a 25-year-old left-hander who has been working as a tennis coach, stunned 53rd-ranked Ricardas Berankis 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in front of a wildly cheering crowd on tiny Court 17.

When Willis held serve to close out the match, he ran to kiss his girlfriend and hug other friends and family in the stands. He picked up a hat thrown from the stands and put it on.

Willis saved 19 of 20 break points against Berankis, who was playing in his fourth Wimbledon and 15th Grand Slam.

Willis won three matches in a special British Lawn Tennis Association event just to earn a wild card into qualifying for Wimbledon. He then won three all three qualifying matches to make it into the main draw.

"This doesn't happen, really," Willis said.

Willis' second-round opponent: Roger Federer, the seven-time champion who found a challenge against a player who had never won on a grass court, posting a 7-6, (7-5), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 win over Guido Pella,

"I'm not sure he can play on grass," Willis said of Federer, with a perfect deadpan delivery.

In the tournament's first big surprise, former top-ranked Ana Ivanovic was beaten 6-2, 7-5 by Ekaterina Alexandrova, a Russian qualifier ranked 223rd and making her Grand Slam debut.

The 23rd-seeded Ivanovic blamed an injured right wrist.