TENNIS WIMBLEDON 2014 – Seven-time Wimbledon champion and 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer dropped just five games in a one-sided first round match against Italian Paolo Lorenzi. The King of grass cruised past Lorenzi with a easy 6-1 6-1 6-3 win in one hour and 33 minutes. Lorenzi has never won in his 13 Grand Slam matches. Diego Sampaolo
Results, Order of Play, Draws and Interviews from The Championships
Federer and Lorenzi played their first ever head-to-head match. Lorenzi has never won a single Grand Slam match in his previous 12 appearances in the four Major Tournaments. Federer is looking to bounce back from his last year’s upset defeat in the second round against Sergiy Stakhovsky
Federer held serve in the first game before storming to 0-40 on Lorenzi’s serve to get the break in the second game with a forehand down the line. Federer made a few unforced errors and had to fend off break point at 30-40.
Federer consolidated the break with an ace for 3-0. The crowd cheered Lorenzi when he won the fourth game for 1-3. Federer hit a forehand winner but Lorenzi came up with two serves to go up 40-15 and won his first game as Federer his a backhand return into the net.
in the sixth game Federer earned a triple break point but Lorenzi rallied back to 30-40. Federer managed to get his second break for 5-1 after 21 minutes. He won 16 of the last 20 points to wrap up the first set in 25 minutes.
Lorenzi held serve in the first game of the second set to go up 1-0 but Federer reeled off six consecutive games He stormed to 3-1 with a couple of love holds after 19 minutes in the second set He delighted the crowd with an ace down the middle, a drop volley winner and a backhand swing He got his third straight break to clinch the second set.
Federer held serve to love for 5-2 in the third set. The Basel player faced the only test of the third set when Lorenzi saved five match points at 2-5 and managed to hold serve after a 10-minute game but the Swiss Maestro held serve to 30 and closed out with his ninth ace down the middle on his sixth match point to win 6-1 6-1 6-3.
Federer will take on either Julien Benneteau from France or qualifier Gilles Muller from Luxembourg. He leads 5-2 in his head-to-head matches against Benneteau but lost their last clash in Rotterdam in 2013.
Federer hit 40 winners and committed 20 unforced errors. He won 30 of 42 approaches to the net but converted only six of his 23 break point chances..
“It was a solid match overall. I served well. I returned well and I also tried to come forward. I could really do everything out there, so I am very pleased with the first round”, said Federer
A sign of Stefan Edberg’s influence was his frequent approach to the net.
“I tried to play serve and volley last week in Halle. But here the surface is slower again. I have to readjust and see against who does it work and how do you it. It was a good match to get a feel for. how much you can actually do it”, said Federer
In the other first round matches of the second day last year’s semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz rallied from a first set loss to edge Somdev Devvarman from India in five sets with 4-6 6-3 6-3 3-6 6-3. Lleyton Hewitt overcame a 14-16 second-set loss in a marathon tie-break to battle past Michael Przysiezny in four sets with 6-2 6-7 (14-16) 6-1 6-4.
