US Open champion Sloane Stephens crashed out in the first round of Wimbledon after a straight-sets defeat to Donna Vekic. Stephens, who was also the runner-up at the French Open last month, was downed 6-1, 6-3 by the unseeded Croatian. It was a tough draw for the fourth seed as Vekic is a threat on the grass but Stephens put in an erratic display. “I am very happy to win today, it was a tough match,” Vekic said. “I am really happy. I tried to go out there and be aggressive, I was struggling with my serve, it was windy, so I am happy to get through. I played all the tournaments on grass, I really enjoy playing on it and it helped me.”
FEDERER CRUSIES PAST LAJOVIC
Roger Federer caused a stir when he began his quest for a ninth Wimbledon title with a new logo on his chest but everything else looked familiar as he crushed Dusan Lajovic 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 in glorious Centre Court sunshine on Monday.
The 36-year-old’s whites were missing the familiar RF emblem after the 20-times Grand Slam champion ditched long-term kit supplier Nike for Japan’s Uniqlo brand.
Lajovic shook off his early nerves to at least give Federer some practice in the second and third sets but the Serbian could do no better than last year when he also suffered a straight-sets defeat by the Swiss, that time in the second round.
Federer, contesting his 20th consecutive Wimbledon, is bidding to become only the second player to win nine singles titles on the London lawns after Martina Navratilova.
“I felt very good from the start which is nice,” Federer, who has now won 24 consecutive sets at the All England Club after blazing to the title last year without dropping one, said on court.
“Felt at home right away. Got the early break in each set and I was able to bring it home.”
Last year’s runner-up Marin Cilic made a solid start to his campaign with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka on Monday.
The lanky 29-year-old third seed served 21 aces and made four service breaks in a match lasting one hour and 45 minutes on Court Two against a young opponent coming back from major knee surgery.
