England, Jun27: Roger Federer gave Prince Charles a bow, then gave Fabio Fognini a royal thumping.
With the Prince of Wales visiting Wimbledon for the first time since 1970, Federer was at his best Wednesday and beat Fognini 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.
Six-time champion Federer won 37 of 41 points on his first serve, and won 21 of 23 points at the net against Fognini, an Italian ranked 68th.
Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, sat in the first row of the Royal Box as Federer walked onto Centre Court for the day's first match. Federer and Fognini stood side by side as they bowed awkwardly toward the royals, and Charles responded with a wave and grin.
“They do brief you beforehand,” Federer said. “I guess you don't do anything stupid. You behave. Obviously we were asked to bow, which is obviously no problem to do. We're thrilled for the tennis family that they came to watch Wimbledon today.”
When Federer completed his victory, Charles and Camilla joined the crowd's applause.
Seeded third, Federer hopes to end his 2½-year drought in major tournaments, and he's off to a good start, losing only nine games through two rounds. He seeks to add to his record total of 16 Grand Slam championships, and he could match the record of seven Wimbledon men's titles set by William Renshaw in the 1880s and tied by Pete Sampras in 2000.
“I'm just happy overall with how I'm playing,” Federer said. “I'm serving well when I have to. I'm moving well. I feel like my forehand and backhand are working well. All of a sudden you win quite comfortably, but you have to focus until the very last point, and I'm happy as well with my concentration level.”
Sloane Stephens, a 19-year-old American playing at Wimbledon for the first time, saved five set points in the first set and beat No. 23 Petra Cetkovska 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-3. Heather Watson became the first British woman to reach the third round since 2002 when she defeated American Jamie Hampton 6-1, 6-4.
Sara Errani needed only seven seconds to complete a rain-interrupted win, and she didn't even have to hit a ball.
Errani led American CoCo Vandeweghe 6-1, 5-3 and held the advantage one point from victory when their match was halted Tuesday evening. They returned to Court 16 some 18 hours later, and when Vandeweghe double-faulted into the net on the first point, Errani had the win.
No. 21-seeded Milos Raonic required only one game to complete a rain-interrupted first-round win over Santiago Giraldo, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. No. 7 David Ferrer reached the second round by beating Dustin Brown 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4.
Reigning U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur lost to Arantxa Rus 6-2, 0-6, 6-4. Stosur, who was seeded fifth, fell to 6-10 at Wimbledon.
No. 13 Dominika Cibulkova lost to Klara Zakopalova 6-4, 6-1. Former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic beat Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
American Mardy Fish said the reason he declined interviews after his first-round victory was a stomach problem related to pain medication he's taking for his right arm—and not anything related to his heart. He expects to be ready for his second-round match Thursday.
Fish spoke to reporters Wednesday, a day after he beat Ruben Ramirez-Hidalgo in straight sets. It was the first match for Fish since a medical procedure in May to try to pinpoint an accelerated heartbeat.
Federer took only 23 minutes to win the first set and continued to pull away. The inconsistent Fognini fell to 1-16 against top 10 players but did manage some spectacular shots, and the players shared smiles after several improbable points that had the crowd roaring.
There was a brief moment of drama when Federer slipped behind the baseline after hitting a forehand. His legs splayed and his left knee landed hard on the grass.
“I'm fine,” he said. “No pain, which is good. It could be dangerous with the left knee. I'm happy it was only basically a bruise to the ground, and not anything in the knee itself.”
