Federer Strolls Past Garcia-Lopez Into Third Round
A relaxed Roger Federer outclassed Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2 6-2 6-4 to waltz into the third round at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
The number two seed, bidding for a sixth Wimbledon crown and a record 15th grand slam title, barely broke sweat as he sent out an ominous message to the rest of the field.
As a contest it was all over once Federer broke serve in the third game of the match and the remainder of the one hour 29 minute stroll was pure exhibition stuff.
"I played too straightforward and maybe a liitle too much attack for him," said Federer, who lost in last year's final to Rafael Nadal. "I could even try a few things in the third set."
Federer, the favourite to win the title in the absence of injured champion Nadal, will play either Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber or Czech Ivo Minar in round three.
Serena Bludgeons Her Way Into Round Three
Serena Williams barely broke into a sweat during an imperious 6-2 6-1 win over Australia's Jarmila Groth as she cruised into the third round at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
The American second seed, chasing a third crown at the All England Club, was fast out of the blocks and never let the world number 69 settle into a rhythm.
Groth, who scored an eye-catching win over Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic in round one, avoided a second set whitewash with a late hold but a service return into the net gave Serena victory on her second match point after 58 minutes.
She will face either 31st seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia or Italy's Roberta Vinci for a place in the fourth round.
Sharapova Left in the Shade by Dulko
Maria Sharapova's latest tennis outfit was packed away for a while after the 2004 champion got knocked out in round two at Wimbledon.
The Russian, who made her name at Wimbledon when she beat Serena Williams in the final as a teenager, suffered a 6-2 3-6 6-4 defeat by Argentina's Gisela Dulko, a player she had dropped just three games against in their two previous clashes.
Dulko prevailed on her fifth match point when Sharapova, who was seeded 24th after a shoulder injury despite a world ranking of 60, fired a forehand long to send the Russian crashing out in the second round for the second consecutive year.
Sharapova was not the only seed to tumble on another baking hot day in south west London where huge crowds again flocked to the All England Club.
Two of the surprise semi-finalists from last year, China's Zheng Jie and Germany's Rainer Schuettler, had their follow-up attempts cut short.
Zheng, the first Chinese to reach the last four of a grand slam singles which she did as a wildcard in 2008, was beaten 6-3 7-5 by former world number five Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.
Schuettler, the men's 18th seed, was beaten in straight sets by Israel's Dudi Sela while another German, Simon Greul, found fourth seed Novak Djokovic in fine form, the Serb booking his place in round three with a 7-5 6-1 6-4 victory.
Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, the charismatic ninth seed from France, had an unexpected day off, getting through the second round without taking his rackets out of his bag after Italian opponent Simone Bolelli withdrew with a back injury.
Terrible Start
Sharapova’s tennis looked decidedly second-hand as she suffered a terrible start against the sultry Dulko, dropping the first set in 35 minutes.
The Florida-based Russian, who returned from a nine-month absence from the tour in May following her shoulder problems, showed her characteristic fighting qualities to take the second set and looked favourite to scrape through.
However, Dulko responded in a thrilling decider and, despite spurning her first four match points, she held her nerve to make Sharapova the highest-profile casualty of the tournament so far.
Djokovic Powers Into Round Three
Fourth seed Novak Djokovic overcame a stuttering start before completing a resolute 7-5 6-1 6-4 victory over Germany's Simon Greul in the second round at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
The Serbian went an early break down to the world number 106 but the former Australian Open champion broke back twice to take a hard-fought opening set in 45 minutes.
Djokovic rattled off three breaks of serve to race through the second set and a crucial break in game nine of the third saw him serve for the match on Court One.
He now faces a third-round clash against American 28th seed Mardy Fish.
