Nadal, Serena through first round with ease

As victories go it was a breeze for Rafael Nadal against Japan's Kei Nishikori in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday but it was the Spaniard's ecstatic reaction that told the real story. After rifling a smash deep into the other side of Centre Court to complete a 6-2 6-4 6-4 win he ripped off his white headband, thumped the net tape with his yellow racket, clenched his fists and looked skywards with his eyes closed.

Two years on from that unforgettable Sunday evening when his swashbuckling tennis floored Roger Federer to win the 2008 title in near darkness, a beaming Nadal could hardly contain himself as the Centre Court crowd rose to salute him. "I can tell you, I'm very happy how I played today," Nadal, whose aching knees prevented him from being able to defend his title last year, said. "It's always special to play on this court. "I'm happy to come back to this tournament and play in probably the most beautiful and emblematic court in the world."

Nadal's one blip in a performance full of searing winners was a dropped serve in the third set but he exacted swift retribution to swat aside the 20-year-old wildcard. Make no mistake. The 24-year-old, looking sharp, eager and hungry despite a long claycourt grind, is here to reclaim the title that Federer snatched back last year. As opening salvos go it was emphatic, just as Serena Williams's had been earlier when the defending women's champion beat Portugal's Michelle Larcher de Brito 6-0 6-4 in what she described as her "strawberry and cream outfit".

Williams does not care much for first-round dramas, especially in grand slams where she now has a 43-0 record. Since making her debut at Wimbledon in 1998, the American has only lost one set at the first hurdle and the 28-year-old was dominant again, smacking down 15 aces as the temperatures soared into the high 70s. She will have a royal audience on Thursday against Russian Anna Chakvetadze when Queen Elizabeth makes her first visit to the All England Club since 1977 and world number one Williams said she would spend today perfecting her curtsy.

"I'm definitely going to work on it a little more," said the three-times Wimbledon champion. "I'm trying to tone down my wrist action. But my curtsy is really fun. It's something that she'll definitely never forget." Federer will be spared royal etiquette when he plays his second round against Serbia's Ilija Bozoljac today. Then again the Swiss has enough on his plate trying to find some form after being within three points of defeat against unheralded Alejandro Falla in Monday's tortuous opener.

Federer's toils would not have gone unnoticed by Nadal, British fourth seed Andy Murray or French Open runner-up Robin Soderling as they all sauntered through on Day Two. Murray is the only home player left after another demoralising day for British tennis but the Scot's play during a 7-5 6-1 6-2 defeat of Czech Jan Hajek suggested "Andy-monium" could break out on Henman Hill next week. Soderling, who could face Nadal in the last eight, dropped just seven games against Robby Ginepri.

Eleven Spanish men were in singles action on Tuesday but apart from Nadal, David Ferrer and Marcel Granollers, the rest all perished. Fernando Verdasco became the highest seed to fall in the men's draw when the No.8 lost to Italy's Fabio Fognini. A quartet of Italian women reached the second round on Ladies Day with 10th seed Flavia Pennetta continuing the Spain-bashing with a 6-4 6-0 win over Anabel Medina Garrigues. Romina Oprandi ended British hopes in the women's draw, beating teenager Heather Watson 6-4 1-6 6-3.

Third seed Caroline Wozniacki stopped the Italian charge with an impressive 6-1 6-1 defeat of Tathiana Garbin and Maria Sharapova dazzled too, reminding everyone of the power that propelled her to the 2004 title with a 6-1 6-0 thrashing of fellow Russian Anastasia Pivovarova. Australian Samantha Stosur's stay proved short-lived as the French Open runner-up and sixth seed here was sent packing 6-4 6-4 by Estonia's Kaia Kanepi.

Stosur's defeat meant both French Open finalists had failed to survive the opening round here as Paris champion Francesca Schiavone made a hasty exit on Monday. *Reuters

Wimbledon men's singles first round results on Tuesday (prefix denotes seeding, * new result). * Fabio Fognini (Italy) beat 8-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 7-6(9) 6-2 6-7(6) 6-4 * Michael Russell (U.S.) beat Pere Riba (Spain) 6-3 7-6(1) 2-6 7-6(1) 33-Philipp Petzschner (Germany) beat Stephane Robert (France) 6-4 7-6(6) 4-6 2-6 6-4 Lukasz Kubot (Poland) beat Blaz Kavcic (Slovenia) 4-6 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-Robin Soederling (Sweden) beat Robby Ginepri (U.S.) 6-2 6-2 6-3 Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) beat Stefan Koubek (Austria) 6-4 7-6(3) 5-7 6-2 32-Julien Benneteau (France) beat Kristof Vliegen (Belgium) 2-6 6-7(6) 6-1 6-2 7-5 4-Andy Murray (Britain) beat Jan Hajek (Czech Republic) 7-5 6-1 6-2 Lukas Lacko (Slovakia) beat 24-Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 6-3 2-6 6-3 6-1 Jeremy Chardy (France) beat Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) 6-3 6-3 6-1 Andreas Beck (Germany) beat Jamie Baker (Britain) 7-6(4) 6-3 6-4 2-Rafa Nadal (Spain) beat Kei Nishikori (Japan) 6-2 6-4 6-4 25-Thomaz Bellucci (Brazil) beat Ricardo Mello (Brazil) 6-4 6-4 6-4 Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) beat Marco Chiudinelli (Switzerland) 6-4 6-3 6-3 9-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) 6-4 6-2 6-3 Florent Serra (France) beat Simon Greul (Germany) 7-6(2) 6-3 6-2 Tobias Kamke (Germany) beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 5-7 2-6 7-5 6-4 6-4 10-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) beat Robert Kendrick (U.S.) 7-6(2) 7-6(6) 3-6 6-4 Andreas Seppi (Italy) beat 19-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) 7-6(4) 7-6(7) 6-2 13-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) beat Dudi Sela (Israel) 6-3 6-4 4-6 7-6(2) Robin Haase (Netherlands) beat James Blake (U.S.) 6-2 6-4 6-4 Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) beat Marc Gicquel (France) 6-1 7-5 3-6 6-1 Martin Fischer (Austria) beat Go Soeda (Japan) 6-4 6-3 6-1 26-Gilles Simon (France) beat Guillermo Alcaide (Spain) 6-3 6-4 7-6(0) Illya Marchenko (Ukraine) beat Michael Berrer (Germany) 6-3 7-5 (Berrer retired) Ivan Dodig (Croatia) beat Oscar Hernandez (Spain) 6-1 6-3 6-3 18-Sam Querrey (U.S.) beat Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) 7-6(4) 6-3 2-1 (Stakhovsky retired)

Wimbledon women's singles first round results on Tuesday (prefix denotes seeding, * new result). * Chang Kai-Chen (Taiwan) beat Arantxa Rus (Netherlands) 6-0 2-6 6-3 * Kurumi Nara (Japan) beat Mariana Duque (Colombia) 6-4 6-2 18-Aravane Rezai (France) beat Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 6-7(8) 6-2 7-5 Arantxa Parra Santonja (Spain) beat Olga Govortsova (Belarus) 6-3 2-6 6-4 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) beat Elena Vesnina (Russia) 6-1 6-3 32-Sara Errani (Italy) beat Julie Coin (France) 6-2 6-4 29-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) beat Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-4 14-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beat Mirjana Lucic (Croatia) 6-3 6-3 Bojana Jovanovski (Serbia) beat Casey Dellacqua (Australia) 6-1 6-0 Ayumi Morita (Japan) beat Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) 7-5 6-1 Raluca Olaru (Romania) beat Alize Cornet (France) 5-7 6-4 6-4 9-Li Na (China) beat Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) 7-6(5) 6-2 3-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) beat Tathiana Garbin (Italy) 6-1 6-1 31-Alexandra Dulgheru (Romania) beat Kimiko Date Krumm (Japan) 6-2 6-7(3) 6-1 Roberta Vinci (Italy) beat Sybille Bammer (Austria) 6-3 6-3 Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) beat 25-Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) 7-6(5) 6-4 Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) beat Yvonne Meusburger (Austria) 6-7(1) 6-1 6-0 Romina Oprandi (Italy) beat Heather Watson (Britain) 6-4 1-6 6-3 16-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat Anastasia Pivovarova (Russia) 6-1 6-0 Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-2 6-2 Edina Gallovits (Romania) beat Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) 4-6 7-5 6-3 Monica Niculescu (Romania) beat Gisela Dulko (Argentina) 6-3 6-2 Alberta Brianti (Italy) beat Jill Craybas (U.S.) 6-2 7-5 Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) beat 6-Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-4 6-4 Anastasia Rodionova (Australia) beat Anne Keothavong (Britain) 3-6 6-2 6-4 1-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Michelle Larcher de Brito (Portugal) 6-0 6-4 19-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) 6-2 6-7(5) 6-4 Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) beat Andrea Petkovic (Germany) 3-6 6-4 6-4 23-Zheng Jie (China) beat Pauline Parmentier (France) 7-5 6-4 7-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Melinda Czink (Hungary) 6-3 6-3 10-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) beat Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 6-4 6-0 * Compiled by Infostrada Sports