Novak Djokovic, Emma Raducanu record first-round wins in Wimbledon

The top seed cruised into the second round by defeating his opponent from South Korea.

The 2022 edition of the Wimbledon is up and running. It is regarded as the most prestigious of the Grand Slams in tennis. In the early stages of the tournament, Monday’s action saw Novak Djokovic making it into the second round of the Men’s Singles. He is the top seed in this bracket and the reigning champion. The Serbian made short work of Soon-woo Kwon of South Korea, beating him by a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 6-4 scoreline. 

The World No.1 ranked player in Men’s Singles is a strong contender to retain his title. Djokovic made a strong start to the game, securing the first set comfortably. However, Kwon had different plans and hit right back by winning the second set against all expectations. Although, Djokovic raised his game to seal victory by winning the third and fourth set respectively in a quick fashion. Despite the elimination, the South Korean got a round of applause from the crowd on the Centre Court. 

Emma Raducanu moves into the second round

British star Emma Raducanu won her first outing at the Centre Court by beating Alison van Uytvanck in straight sets. The US Open champion had injury issues recently but did not show any lapses in her performance in the first round of the Women’s Singles. Raducanu secured an easy 6-4, 6-4 win and will hope to go farther than the fourth-round finish during the previous edition of the Wimbledon. 

Another British star and a two-time Wimbledon winner Andy Murray was also in action on Monday. He came up against Australia’s James Duckworth in the first-round tie. Murray beat his Australian opponent 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the final game of the day.

Key results elsewhere

Fifth seed Carlos Alcaraz had a tough outing but made it into the second round of the Men’s Singles bracket. It took him five sets to defeat Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany. The four-hour and eleven minutes long contest saw the Spaniard win by a 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7-3), 6-4 score. 

Third seed Casper Ruud also secured a win, despite some labour. He beat Albert Vinolas of Spain in straight sets, thanks to a 7-6(7-1), 7-6(11-9), 6-2 score. In one of the early upsets of the Men’s Singles bracket, Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz lost to Alejandro Fokina. The seventh seed succumbed to a 6-7(7-4), 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-7(8-10) score.

Anett Kontaveit, the second seed in Women’s Singles secured an easy win in her first-round outing. She beat Bernarda Pera of U.S.A by 7-5, 6-1 score. Third seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia also secured an easy win in her first-round fixture against Mirjam Bjorklund of Sweden by 6-1, 6-3.

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