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London - Former champion Rafael Nadal survived an early scare to kick off his bid for a third Wimbledon title with a 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-3 victory over Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci in the first round on Tuesday.
Nadal, the winner in 2008 and 2010, appeared to be suffering a hangover from his record-breaking seventh French Open triumph two weeks ago as he allowed world No 80 Bellucci to race into a 4-0 lead in the first set on Centre Court.
But the second seeded Spaniard, who lost in the final to Novak Djokovic last year, quickly regained his composure and took the opening set in a tie-break.
That seemed to break Bellucci's resolve and, with normal service restored, Nadal powered through the second set in typically aggressive fashion.
Although Nadal is rightly regarded as the king of clay after his remarkable achievements at Roland Garros, the 11-time Grand Slam winner is fast becoming equally dominant on grass.
He has reached the final on his last five appearances at the All England Club and there was an inevitability about the way he battered his fellow left-hander into submission.
Bellucci stuck with him until midway through the third set when a booming Nadal forehand secured a break for a 4-2 lead and the Spaniard was soon serving out the win.
The 26-year-old, bidding to equal Bjorn Borg's feat of winning the French Open and Wimbledon back to back on three occasions, will face Ivan Dodig or Lukas Rosol for a place in the last 32.
Men
First round
Nicolas Almagro (ESP x12) bt Olivier Rochus (BEL) 6-7 (4/7), 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 6-4
Nicolas Mahut (FRA) bt Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 6-3, 5-7, 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 6-2
Kenny De Schepper (FRA) bt Matthias Bachinger (GER) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
Kei Nishikori (JPN x19) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
Florent Serra (FRA) bt Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Go Soeda (JPN) bt Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) 6-3, 6-2, 6-1
Juan Martn Del Potro (ARG x9) bt Robin Haase (NED) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5
Marin Cilic (CRO x16) bt Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (GER) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Sam Querrey (USA) bt Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) bt Kevin Anderson (RSA x32) 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (4/7), 6-3
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) bt Albert Montas (ESP) 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
Andy Murray (GBR x4) bt Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) 6-1, 6-1, 6-4
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x5) bt Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Guillermo Garca-Lpez (ESP) bt Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 10-8
Lukas Lacko (SVK) bt Adrian Ungur (ROM) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 6-3
David Goffin (BEL) bt Bernard Tomic (AUS x20) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Jesse Levine (USA) bt Karol Beck (SVK) 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-2
James Ward (GBR) bt Pablo Andjar (ESP) 4-6, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Mardy Fish (USA x10) bt Rubn Ramrez Hidalgo (ESP) 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 7-6 (7/1)
Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP x14) 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4
Brian Baker (USA) bt Rui Machado (POR) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-0
Benot Paire (FRA) bt Matthew Ebden (AUS) 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 6-3
Alexander Dolgopolov (UKR x22) bt Alex Bogomolov (RUS) 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x27) bt Tommy Haas (GER) 3-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/1), 6-2
Malek Jaziri (TUN) bt Jurgen Zopp (EST) 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 9-7
Lukas Rosol (CZE) bt Ivan Dodig (CRO) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/0), 7-5
Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Thomaz Belluci (BRA) 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-3
Women
First round
Vera Zvonareva (RUS x12) bt Mona Barthel (GER) 2-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4
Christina McHale (USA x28) bt Johanna Konta (GBR) 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 10-8
Serena Williams (USA x6) bt Barbora Zhlavov Strcov (CZE) 6-2, 6-4
Melinda Czink (HUN) bt Johanna Larsson (SWE) 6-0, 6-2
Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) bt Vera Dushevina (RUS) 6-2, 7-5
Zheng Jie (CHN x25) bt Stphanie Dubois (CAN) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
Kiki Bertens (NED) bt Lucie Safarova (CZE x19) 6-3, 6-0
Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) bt Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5)
Anne Keothavong (GBR) bt Laura Pous (ESP) 6-3, 6-3
Kristyna Plskova (CZE) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 6-2, 6-2
Francesca Schiavone (ITA x24) bt Laura Robson (GBR) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x31) bt Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) 6-1, 6-2
Varvara Lepchenko (USA) bt Patricia Mayr (AUT) 6-2, 6-3
Elena Baltacha (GBR) bt Karin Knapp (ITA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-0
Petra Kvitova (CZE x4) bt Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) 6-4, 6-4
Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) bt Greta Arn (HUN) 6-4, 6-2
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x32) 6-2, 6-3
Roberta Vinci (ITA x21) bt Ashleigh Barty (AUS) 6-2, 6-4
Marina Erakovic (NZL) bt Urszula Radwanska (POL) 6-4, 6-4
Mirjana Lucic (CRO) bt Alexandra Panova (RUS) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Marion Bartoli (FRA x9) bt Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 6-2, 6-4
Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP x26) bt Simona Halep (ROM) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
Jana Cepelov (SVK) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
Romina Oprandi (SWI) bt Irina Begu (ROM) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4
Victoria Azarenka (BLR x2) bt Irina Falconi (USA) 6-1, 6-4
