WIMBLEDON, England -- With glittery new shoes and flashy shotmaking,
Maria Sharapova opened her bid for a second successive Wimbledon title by
beating Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-2, 6-2 Tuesday.
Sharapova unveiled shoes trimmed with 18-karat gold and displayed her
familiar grass-court flair. She hit six aces, erased the only break point she
faced and belted winners into both corners from the baseline.
No. 2-seeded Andy Roddick also won easily, beating Jiri Vanek 6-1, 7-6 (4),
6-2. Roddick, the runner-up to Roger Federer last year, hit 14 aces and
advanced in 82 minutes.
On a sunny afternoon, with temperatures in the low 80s, Sharapova played the
first match on Centre Court and was done in 58 minutes. She raced to a 3-0 lead
in each set and won five consecutive games during one stretch.
Last year, at 17, she became the third-youngest singles champion - male or
female - in the tournament's 118-year history. Now she's seeded No. 2 behind
Lindsay Davenport and listed by oddsmakers as the co-favorite, along with
French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne.
The customary postmatch handshake symbolized Sharapova's stature at the All
England Club. At 6 feet, she stood a head taller than the 5-1 1/2 Llagostera
Vives.
Roddick, hitting serves at up to 141 mph, faced just one break point against
Vanek and totaled 32 winners to just 12 unforced errors. It was Vanek's 11th
consecutive first-round exit in a major tournament.
The only drama in the match came in the tiebreaker, when a scrambling
exchange sent Vanek racing forward. As he tried to brake, he dumped his shot
into the net, then went tumbling over it, landing on his back on Roddick's side
of the court.
Roddick also won the next point to take the set.
In other men's play, No. 20 Ivan Ljubicic lost to Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 6-4,
6-4. No. 15 Guillermo Coria, last year's French Open runner-up, matched his
best showing at Wimbledon by reaching the second round when he beat Tomas
Behrend 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
Scottish 18-year-old Andrew Murray, the latest candidate for a British
breakthrough at Wimbledon, beat qualifier George Bastl 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Murray, a
wild card and the U.S. Open juniors champion last year, won in his Grand Slam
debut.
Bastl was playing at Wimbledon for the first time since 2002, when he upset
seven-time champion Pete Sampras. That match was Sampras' last at Wimbledon.
On the women's side, No. 11 Vera Zvonareva rallied past Marlene Weingartner
2-6, 6-4, 6-0. No. 20 Daniela Hantuchova overtook Evgenia Linetskaya 3-6, 6-2,
6-2.
Marat Safin is beginning to find his footing on grass, an ominous
development for the rest of the men's field. The mercurial Russian overcame his
career-long aversion to lawn tennis Monday and beat Paradorn Srichaphan 6-2,
6-4, 6-4.
A first-round victory by a two-time Grand Slam champion might seem no big
deal. But Safin has advanced beyond the second round at Wimbledon only once,
and after a first-round loss last year he said he was done trying to win on
grass.
Even when Safin won the Australian Open in January, he was unsure whether he
would play at Wimbledon. Now he lurks as a threat to claim his second major
title this year.
''After what I've seen, it looks like he's getting more comfortable on the
surface,'' said 2003 runner-up Mark Philippoussis, who will play Safin in the
second round Wednesday. ''He's definitely finding his game a little more out
there.''
Against Paradorn, the No. 5-seeded Safin moved well despite a knee injury
that has hampered him in recent weeks and prompted him to plan a monthlong
layoff after Wimbledon. He had 46 winners and just 13 unforced errors, lost
just 11 points on his first serve and was broken only once.
Safin, who has battled a slump on all surfaces in recent months, judged the
performance his best since Australia.
''I felt really comfortable, actually, and really confident,'' he said. ''I
wish I could play this level of tennis every day. I'm trying.''
With a rueful smile, Safin acknowledged he still hates grass. He said he's
trying to change that with the help of coach Peter Lundgren, who has encouraged
Safin to play more aggressively on the surface.
There were signs of progress at the grass event two weeks ago in Halle,
Germany, where Safin won four matches before losing a three-set final to
two-time defending Wimbledon champion Roger Federer.
''I felt really, really comfortable for some reason,'' Safin said. ''That
helped me to get the confidence, because it's really important to get into the
grass and to Wimbledon with something on your back.
''I need to hold these feelings, and I need to hold them for a long time, as
long as I can. Because now it looks like I found my game. I found the
confidence that I was missing for the past six months. Finally I have it. I'll
try not to lose it again.''