Same old story, usual suspects

The 30-year-old Briton, four-times a losing semi-finalist, was beaten 3-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 8-6 by Russian Dmitry Tursunov on Centre Court to end his increasingly forlorn hope of becoming Britain’s first men’s champion since 1936.

Women’s defending champion Maria Sharapova overwhelmed Bulgarian 15-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva 6-0, 6-1 while another teenager, France’s Richard Gasquet, also swept through to the third round.

Nadal’s claycourt expertise counted for little on a slick Court One against Gilles Muller, the world No. 69, who only won his first round match after opponent Felix Mantilla retired injured.

Slipping and sliding on the unfamiliar grass, the flamboyant 19-year-old succumbed 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Henman had to recover from two sets down to win his first round match, an indication that he was nowhere near peak form for his biggest tournament of the year.

On Thursday 22-year-old Tursunov, ranked 152, proved a calm and resilient opponent who admirably kept his head after squandering several match points and despite having few supporters in a raucous Centre Court crowd.

“It’s disappointing, it’s tough to take but you’ve got to give him a lot of credit,” Henman said. “I certainly didn’t play badly today.”

White-hot Russian Sharapova turned Karatantcheva’s day in the sun into a nightmare that she will want quickly to forget with a ruthless display of baselining.

The chastened Bulgarian’s sole consolation was that by winning the 10th game she avoided suffering the tournament’s first whitewash.

The two are not exactly the best of friends and Sharapova had little sympathy for her humiliated opponent.

Gasquet, who won the pre-Wimbledon grasscourt tournament in Nottingham, will face Nadal’s conqueror Muller in round three after beating Belgian qualifier Gilles Elseneer 7-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-2.

The Beziers-born slugger is loathe to raise any false hopes of winning his first Grand Slam, however.

(Reuters)