Wimbledon | Maria Sharapova advances

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Wimbledon | Maria Sharapova advances

Done with her pre-tournament verbal volleying with Serena Williams,

Maria Sharapova improved to 11-0 in first-round matches at Wimbledon by beating 37th-ranked Kristina Mladenovic of France 7-6 (5), 6-3 Monday.

Wimbledon Maria Sharapova advances

 Meanwhile, second-seeded Victoria Azarenka overcame a right knee injury from a scary fall for a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Maria Joao Koehler in her opener. The world number 3  Sharapova, who won her first Grand Slam title at the All England Club in 2004, struggled through the opening set.

But at 5-all in the tiebreaker, Sharapova hit a cross-court backhand winner to earn a set point, which she quickly converted with an over-the-shoulder backhand volley winner off Mladenovic's lob. Sharapova drew attention over the weekend by delivering a sharp news-conference rebuke to Williams over critical comments attributed to the top-seeded American in a recent magazine article. Williams has won their last 13 head-to-head matches, including the French Open final this month. Azarenka won the first set easily and was ahead 1-0 in the second when she slipped and fell. She was sobbing on the court and received treatment during an injury timeout. She played the rest of the match with a heavy wrap on her right knee.

Wimbledon | Maria Sharapova advances

 After resuming, Azarenka was limping noticeably and winced after several points. But Koehler, making her Wimbledon debut, did not have the power or consistency to make Azarenka, the two-time Australian Open titlist, pay for her diminished mobility. Wimbledon also produced its first upset on the opening day of the tournament. Puerto Rican teenager Monica Puig slugged 38 winners and eliminated fifth-seeded Sara Errani of Italy 6-3, 6-2 on Monday in the first match on Court 18 of the grass-court Grand Slam.

Wimbledon | Federer beats Hanescu June 24, 2013

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Wimbledon: Roger Federer advances

Wimbledon: Roger Federer advances

Ten years after his first Wimbledon championship, Roger Federer began his bid for a record eighth title at the All England Club on Monday with the same dominance that has defined his grass-court greatness.

Opening the tournament on Centre Court as defending champion, Federer looked right as home as he dismantled Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 in just 68 minutes.

This was a grass-court clinic from Federer, who had 32 winners, seven aces and just six unforced errors. He won 90 percent of the points when he put his first serve in.

 When his serve is clicking, Federer usually is unbeatable. On this day, he won 15 of his first service points and 24 out of the first 25.

 A year after stunning Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon, Lukas Rosol lost his first-round match against a qualifier ranked 121st. Rosol, who came in ranked 35th, was beaten 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-4 Monday by Germany's Julian Reister.

Federer vs Hanescu June 24, 2013

 Their match was on tiny Court 19, a short walk away from Centre Court, where the then 100th-ranked Rosol pulled off a surprising five-set victory over two-time Wimbledon champion Nadal in 2012's second round. Nadal then took a seven-month break from the tour because of a left knee injury. Against Reister, Rosol played the same sort of high-risk game he used so successfully against Nadal. This time, Rosol was not nearly as accurate, accumulating 74 unforced errors, 30 more than Reister.

 Last year, Roger Federer equaled Pete Sampras and William Renshaw with seven Wimbledon titles. He is now contending to become the first man to win the tournament eight times, which would bring his total of Grand Slam titles to 18. In keeping with tradition, Federer had the honor of playing the first match on the sport's biggest stage as the reigning men's champion. This was the seventh time he strode out first on Centre Court.

 "It's slightly different," he said. "Nine years ago when I came out the first time, it was the most special thing in the world. It still feels amazing. It was an absolute pleasure playing on Centre Court." Federer came out wearing a white collared jacket with orange trim, then quickly got down to business. He never faced a break point and broke six times. Federer has a habit of making things look easy. And so it was in the opening game when, stranded at the net, he reached behind him for a reflex forehand volley that landed in for a winner. In the third set, Federer lifted a perfect backhand lob over the 6-foot-6 Hanescu for a break and a 5-0 lead. Also scheduled on Centre Court was No. 2-seeded Andy Murray, playing Benjamin Becker of Germany. Murray, who lost to Federer in last year's final, beat the Swiss star a month later for the Olympic gold medal and won his first Grand Slam at the U.S. Open.

He is bidding again to become the first British player to win the men's Wimbledon trophy since Fred Perry in 1936. Two-time champion Rafael Nadal, seeded No. 5 this year, was paired against Steve Darcis of Belgium on Court No. 1. Nadal is coming off his eighth victory at the French Open.