Wimbledon 2017: Roger Federer & Novak Djokovic into third round
- Published
Wimbledon 2017 on the BBC |
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Venue: All England Club Dates: 3-16 July Starts: 11:30 BST |
Live: Coverage across BBC TV, BBC Radio and BBC Sport website with further coverage on Red Button, Connected TVs and app. Click for full times. |
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic made swift progress with straight-set wins in the second round at Wimbledon.
Third seed Federer, seeking a record eighth title, beat Dusan Lajovic 7-6 (7-0) 6-3 6-2 on a hot evening on Centre Court.
Djokovic, seeded second, earlier swept past Adam Pavlasek 6-2 6-2 6-1 on Court One.
Sixth seed Milos Raonic, eighth seed Dominic Thiem and 10th seed Alexander Zverev secured places in round three.
I couldn't get rid of the nerves - Federer
Swiss Federer and Djokovic of Serbia both completed matches for the first time this week after their first-round opponents had retired with injuries.
Three-time champion Djokovic needed just over 90 minutes to see off Czech Pavlasek, the world number 136 making his debut at the Championships.
The 30-year-old will play Latvia's Ernests Gulbis, after the world number 589 beat Argentine Juan Martin del Potro 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-3).
"Overall I managed to impose my own rhythm and play the game I intended to play," Djokovic, who converted seven of his 18 break points, told the BBC.
"It was very warm and hot and not easy to play point after point in some of the long rallies."
Federer, 35, lost the opening seven points and fell 2-0 down against Lajovic, who played well above his ranking of 79 for much of the contest.
It was still not enough to seriously trouble the Swiss, watched by his parents in the royal box.
Federer broke back immediately and after a tight set, dominated the tie-break to take decisive control of proceedings.
Ninety minutes, nine aces and 30 winners later, he wrapped up a solid win and a third-round clash with Germany's 27th seed Mischa Zverev.
"I struggled early on. I couldn't get rid of the nerves and struggled to find my rhythm," Federer told BBC Sport.
"I should feel comfortable here, and I do, but the problem is on grass if you're struggling it can take a while.
"I wasn't too worried. Nerves are a funny thing, sometimes you get horribly nervous and other times it's a piece of cake. I'm happy it happened in the second round."
'He looked like the old Novak'
Seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion Peter Fleming on BBC Two
Novak Djokovic and his camp will be very pleased. He wasn't at the top of his game right away but through the second and third sets, he started to move well. He eliminated the unforced errors and looked like the old Novak.
Will he be able to maintain that level when the opposition improves? He is starting to put it together.
Pavlasek didn't have enough to trouble Novak. You need a huge shot to threaten one of the greatest defenders of all time.
It was a pretty straightforward affair for Federer and he'll be pleased to get back to the locker room, an early dinner and prepare for Saturday.
Lajovic played well but couldn't quite come up with the shots required in that first set tie-break.
Raonic battles past Youzhny
Raonic, runner-up last year, was in trouble when he faced a set point to trail two sets to love against Russia's Mikhail Youzhny.
The Canadian came through 3-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 7-5 in two hours and 40 minutes on court two.
"I was fortunate I didn't get down two sets to love in that tiebreaker," said Raonic. "I got very lucky in those scenarios."
Austrian Thiem saw off Frenchman Gilles Simon 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-4 and Alexander Zverev, brother of Mischa, beat American Frances Tiafoe 6-3 6-4 6-3.
Elsewhere, 23rd seed John Isner lost in five sets to Israel's Dudi Sela.
The world number 90 beat the American 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 and will face 13th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the next round.
Bulgaria's Dimitrov beat former Wimbledon semi-finalist Marcos Baghdatis 6-3 6-2 6-1, with the 26-year-old securing a comprehensive victory over the Cypriot with a stunning diving forehand volley.
Spain's David Ferrer reached the third round after his opponent Steve Darcis was forced to withdraw with a back problem, the ninth retirement of the singles tournament so far.
American 17th seed Jack Sock went out in the second round against Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner, who won 6-3 6-4 3-6 2-6 6-2.
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