Nadal and Venus back in the old routine at Wimbledon

Defending champion Rafael Nadal made an emphatic start to his bid for a third Wimbledon title on Monday while five-time winner Venus Williams was back in the old routine with a dominant display. Nadal, fresh from a record-equalling sixth French Open, was only troubled briefly by 33-year-old American Michael Russell as he cantered to a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 first round win.
Russell, who has never got beyond the second round, broke for a 4-2 lead in the first set, but Nadal then reeled off six games in succession to take the opener and lead 2-0 in the second set. Nadal was quickly 4-1 ahead in the third set and there was no way back for the world 91 as the top seed, who unleashed 35 winners, set up a second round meeting with Ryan Sweeting of the United States.
The world number one is favourite to win Wimbledon - and claim his 11th Grand Slam crown in the process - but Nadal refuses to contemplate another famous triumph here just yet. "Let's not talk about what might happen in 12 days. I might be here or I might be home fishing in Majorca," Nadal said. "I have played Sweeting twice this year at the Australian Open and in Indian Wells. He is a good player. I have seen him winning matches."
Elsewhere, Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych - beaten by Nadal in last year's final - stormed through with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 win over Italy's Filippo Volandri. French ninth seed Gael Monfils defeated Germany's Matthias Bachinger 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 and Stanislas Wawrinka, the Swiss 14th seed, beat Italy's Potito Starace 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Richard Gasquet, the French 17th seed, clinched a 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) win over Colombia's Santiago Giraldo.
Like Nadal, Venus Williams knows what it takes to lift the trophy in south-west London and the 23rd seed wasted little time disposing of Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-3, 6-1. Williams, showing no signs of the hip injury which kept her off the tour for five months until her Eastbourne return last week, raised eyebrows with her choice of a loose-fitting, zipped-up, baggy outfit.
But she was more concerned with focusing on a satisfying return to action at her favourite Grand Slam. "Coming into any major there is a bit of tension and because I haven't played a lot I think that adds a little pressure on me," Venus said. Williams now takes on 40-year-old Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm who became the second oldest winner of a singles match at Wimbledon with her 6-0, 7-5 demolition of British wild card Katie O'Brien.
Date-Krumm, a semi-finalist at the All England Club in 1996 and who made her debut in 1989, had the honour of playing the first match on the new Court Three which has replaced the old Court Two, the former Graveyard of the Champions. "I remember 1996 on the Centre Court. I played against Steffi Graf and it was in darkness," recalled the Japanese of the year she last won a Wimbledon match.
Vera Zvonareva, beaten by Serena Williams in last year's final, made a winning return as the Russian second seed defeated America's Alison Riske 6-0, 3-6, 6-3. Russian 12th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated China's Zhang Shuai 3-6, 6-3 6-4, while Israel's 22nd seed Shahar Peer went down 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to Ksenia Pervak of Russia. Russian 28th seed Ekaterina Makarova also lost, 2-6 6-1 8-6 against America's Christina McHale.
Results from the 1st day of the Wimbledon on Monday (x denotes seeding):
Men (1st round): Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Michael Russell (USA) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2; Ryan Sweeting (USA) bt Pablo Andujar (ESP) 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/1), 6-1; Gilles Muller (LUX) bt Tommy Haas (GER) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-3; Milos Raonic (CAN x31) bt Marc Gicquel (FRA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3; Dudi Sela (ISR) bt Frederico Gil (POR) 6-4, 6-1, 6-4; Mardy Fish (USA x10) bt Marcel Granollers (ESP) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5), 6-4; Denis Istomin (UZB) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3; Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA) bt Donald Young (USA) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1; Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1; Tomas Berdych (CZE x6) bt Filippo Volandri (ITA) 6-2, 6-2, 6-1; Richard Gasquet (FRA x17) bt Santiago Giraldo (COL) 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3); Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) bt Igor Sijsling (NED) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; Simone Bolelli (ITA) bt Martin Fischer (AUT) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4; Stanislas Wawrinka (SWI x14) bt Potito Starace (ITA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4; Gael Monfils (FRA x9) bt Matthias Bachinger (GER) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3; Grega Zemlja (SLO) bt Lukas Lacko (SVK) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-4; Rainer Schuettler (GER) bt Thomaz Belluci (BRA x30) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-2; Feliciano Lopez (ESP) bt Michael Berrer (GER) 6-4, 7-5, 6-3
Women (1st round): Christina McHale (USA) bt Ekaterina Makarova (RUS x28) 2-6, 6-1, 8-6; Ksenia Pervak (RUS) bt Shahar Peer (ISR x22) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; Pauline Parmentier (FRA) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROM) 6-1, 6-3; Sara Errani (ITA) bt Kaia Kanepi (EST x17) 6-1, 6-4; Yanina Wickmayer (BEL x19) bt Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 7-5, 6-3; Anna Tatishvili (GEO) bt Anastasia Pivovarova (RUS) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; Alexandra Dulgheru (ROM) bt Jill Craybas (USA) 6-2, 6-4; Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x12) bt Shuai Zhang (CHN) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Monica Niculescu (ROM) bt Sybille Bammer (AUT) 6-1, 6-1; Kimiko Date Krumm (JPN) bt Katie O'Brien (GBR) 6-0, 7-5; Venus Williams (USA x23) bt Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) 6-3, 6-1; Elena Vesnina (RUS) bt Laura Pous (ESP) 6-4, 6-3; Vera Zvonareva (RUS x2) bt Alison Riske (USA) 6-0, 3-6, 6-3.