TENNIS: Venus descends

EXIT: Former champ crashes out in first round

LONDON: FIVE-TIME Wimbledon champion Venus Williams  suffered her worst All England Club defeat in 15 years  yesterday, but top seeds  Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova powered into the second round.

Venus lost 6-1, 6-3 to 79th-ranked Russian Elena Vesnina in what was the 32-year-old's first opening round loss since her 1997 debut.

But the former World No 1 -- the champion in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008 -- believes she can still compete at the top level despite her ranking having slipped to 58 after a six-month absence fighting serious illness.

"There's no way I will give up just because I have had a hard time in the first four or five friggin' tournaments back. That's not me," said a fiesty Venus at a post-match news conference.

When asked if she will play at Wimbledon in 2013, she was adamant.

"Sure," she said. "I feel like I am a great player who has had to deal with exceptional circumstances. I don't have time to feel negative. It doesn't feel good. I am as tough as nails, I don't have time to be sorry for myself."

The American star arrived at Wimbledon, where she was unseeded for the first time since her 1997 debut, short of confidence having been sidelined with Sjogern's Syndrome, a disease which causes joint pain and fatigue.

Yesterday's defeat was just her fourth loss at the first round stage of a Grand Slam against 52 wins.

Elena, who had lost in the first round of nine of her last 10 Grand Slam appearances, will face Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska for a place in the last 32.

Top seed Djokovic, opening business on Centre Court, reached the second round with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win over Spanish veteran Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Djokovic, playing for the first time since his French Open final defeat to Rafael Nadal, will next face either America's Ryan Harrison or Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan.

Federer had a familiar result on an unfamiliar court in the first round at Wimbledon.

The Swiss six-time champion was assigned to play his opening game on Court 1 instead of on Centre Court at the All England Club for the first time since 2003 but was his usual dominant self in beating Albert Ramos 6-1, 6-1, 6-1.

Federer broke Ramos eight times while losing his serve once in the first set.

"The crowd were excited to see us play. I played a good match against a guy who doesn't have much experience on grass courts," said the Swiss.

"It was a clean match, I could save energy and it gives you confidence when you close out a match that easily."

The 16-time Grand Slam champion is looking to equal the record of seven Wimbledon titles held by Pete Sampras and William Renshaw.

Maria, who completed a career Grand Slam with victory at the French Open, was second-up on Centre Court and eased past Australia's Anastasia Rodionova 6-2, 6-3.

Maria, the 2004 champion, has now beaten Anastasia five times in five meetings without dropping a set.

The 25-year-old World No 1 will face Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova, who reached the semi-finals in 2010, in the last 64.

"It's always difficult when you have had no matches on grass before Wimbledon," said Maria. "It can be tricky but you just focus on what you have to do."

US Open champion Samantha Stosur and ex-French Open winner Li Na also reached the second round.

Samantha, the fifth-seeded Australian, had the honour of being the first woman into the last 64, cruising past Spain's 40th-ranked Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-3.

The 28-year-old Samantha, who was a semi-finalist at the French Open earlier this month, has never got beyond the third round at the All England Club and had been beaten in the first round in 2010 and 2011.

Her win earned her a second round match with Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands.

Chinese 11th seed Li Na, the 2011 French Open winner, enjoyed an emphatic 6-3, 6-1 victory over Ksenia Pervak of Kazakhstan.

Li Na had beaten Ksenia by the same score at the same stage of the Australian Open and next faces Romania's Sorana Cirstea.

Agnieszka, a quarter-finalist in 2008 and 2009, made the second round with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova.

Sabine Lisicki, the 15th seed and a semi-finalist last year, enjoyed a 6-4, 6-2 win over Croatia's Petra Martic.

Flavia Pennetta, the 16th seed, was knocked out by compatriot and qualifier Camila Giorgi, 6-4, 6-3. AFP

Results:-

 Men’s    1st rd:    Richard Gasquet (Fra) bt Tobias Kamke (Ger) 6-2, 6-2, 6-2;    Julien Benneteau (Fra) bt Gilles Muller (Lux) 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4);    Ryan Sweeting (USA) bt Potito Starace (Ita) 6-2, 2-0 - ret;  Novak Djokovic (Srb) bt Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spa) 6-3, 6-3, 6-1;    Ruben Bemelmans (Bel) bt Carlos Berlocq (Arg) 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 7-6 (7-2);     Michael Russell (USA) bt Adrián Menéndez (Spa) 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (9-7);         Fernando Verdasco (Spa) bt Yeu-Tzuoo Wang (Tai) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 7-5;    Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) bt Donald Young (USA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

Women’s      1st rd:    Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (Svk) 6-3, 6-3;    Anna Tatishvili (Geo) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (Tha) 6-4, 6-2;    Camila Giorgi (Ita) bt Flavia Pennetta (Ita) 6-4, 6-3;    Li Na (Chn) bt Ksenia Pervak (Kaz) 6-3, 6-1;    Sorana Cirstea (Rom) bt Pauline Parmentier (Fra) 6-4, 6-1;    Ayumi Morita (Jpn) bt Jarmila Gajdosova (Aus) 6-4, 6-3;    Samantha Stosur (Aus) bt Carla Suarez (Spa) 6-1, 6-3; Su-Wei Hsieh (Tai) bt Virginie Razzano (Fra) 6-2, 6-4;    Sabine Lisicki (Ger) bt Petra Martic (Cro) 6-4, 6-2    Andrea Hlavácková (Cze) bt Kai-Chen Chang (Tai) 6-1, 6-2;         Elena Vesnina (Rus) bt Venus Williams (USA) 6-1, 6-3; Arantxa Rus (Ned) bt Misaki Doi (Jpn) 7-5, 6-3.

Elena Vesnina celebrates her victory over Venus Williams yesterday. AFP pic

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