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Two-time champion Petra Kvitova and former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki were easy first-round winners, while No. 2 seed Simona Halep and last year's runner-up Genie Bouchard were a pair of upset victims Tuesday at The Championships. Winning 28-of-29 points on serve, the formidable second-seeded Czech left-hander Kvitova flattened Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens 6-1, 6-0 at the All England Club.
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In keeping with Wimbledon tradition, Kvitova had the honor of playing the first Centre Court match on the second day as the reigning champ.
"It was a great feeling," Kvitova said. "I have so many nice memories. I was very nervous before my match. The atmosphere was unbelievable, so for me it was really nice to back. I'm really glad how I played as well."
Kvitova, who is now 27-5 at tennis' most-storied event, including eight straight wins, captured her second Wimbledon title in four years last year by whipping the Canadian Bouchard in the ladies' final.
Up next for the Czech slugger will be Japan's Kurumi Nara.
The fifth-seeded 2014 U.S. Open runner-up Wozniacki, who has yet to reach a Wimbledon quarterfinal, dismissed Chinese Zheng Saisai 7-5, 6-0.
Meanwhile, Slovak Jana Cepelova stunned the third-seeded former French Open runner-up Halep 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 and little-known Chinese Duan Ying-Ying ousted the 12th-seeded Bouchard 7-6 (7-3), 6-4. Bouchard has now lost her last two matches at Wimbledon and is a dismal 4-13 since reaching the Aussie Open quarterfinals in January.
Eighth-seeded 2014 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Ekaterina Makarova eased past American Sachia Vickery 6-2, 6-4, while 10th-seeded Angelique Kerber moved on by double-bageling fellow German Carina Witthoeft 6-0, 6-0 and 13th-seeded 2012 Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska leveled Czech Lucie Hradecka 6-3, 6-2.
Fifteenth-seeded French Open semifinalist Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland subdued German Julia Goerges 6-2, 7-5, while 18th-seeded grass-court specialist Sabine Lisicki downed Aussie Jarmila Gajdosova 7-5, 6-4 to improve to 24-6 lifetime at Wimbledon. The German slugger Lisicki reached the final here in 2013 and has landed in at least the quarters in her last five trips to the AEC.
In other play involving seeds, No. 17 Ukrainian Elina Svitolina overcame Japanese Misaki Doi 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; No. 20 Spaniard Garbine Muguruza grounded American Varvara Lepchenko 6-4, 6-1; No. 25 Frenchwoman Alize Cornet drubbed promising Croat Ana Konjuh 6-2, 6-2; No. 26 Russian and two-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova took care of German Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-4; No. 28 former top-ranked star Jelena Jankovic of Serbia eliminated Russian Elena Vesnina 6-4, 3-6, 10-8; No. 31 Italian Camila Giorgi got past Brazilian Teliana Pereira 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; and Brit Heather Watson upended No. 32 Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia 1-6, 6-3, 8-6.
[SportsNetwork.com]
