As is tradition, the men’s defending champion at Wimbledon opened play on Centre Court. And as is tradition, Rafael Nadal rolled past inferior competition early in a slam.
Nadal looks to have gotten his grass court legs back under himself quickly, rolling past American journeyman Michael Russell, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, in his first round match.
The straight set win was Nadal’s 15th straight victory at the All-England Club. Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 Wimbledon champion, has not lost a match at Wimbledon since 2007 (missing 2009 due to a knee injury).
Russell started the match strong, going up a break on Nadal in the first set for 4-3. But Nadal broke back twice successively, winning the set 6-4 and never looking back. Russell’s grinding, counterpunching style ultimately offered little resistance once Nadal found his range.
Nadal next faces the winner of Pablo Andujar and Ryan Sweeting, neither of whom should scare him much. But things could get much tougher for Nadal before the week is out, with a potential match against powerful Canadian Milos Raonic looming in the third round.
Wimbledon 2011 Scores And Results: No. 1 Rafael Nadal Breezes Past Michael Russell To Begin Title Defense
Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more results from Day 1 of Wimbledon 2011. Get live scores at Wimbledon’s official website, and watch matches online for free on ESPN3.
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