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Li back on track in London

London - Li Na got back on track after her French Open misery as the Chinese second seed enjoyed a 7-5, 6-2 win over Polish qualifier Paula Kania in the Wimbledon first round on Monday.

Li suffered her worst Grand Slam performance since 2011 when she slumped to an opening round exit against Kristina Mladenovic in Paris last month, but her first match since then was less traumatic.

The 32-year-old from Wuhan was too strong for Kania in their 76-minute clash on Centre Court, hitting 24 winners to set up a second round meeting with Austria's Yvonne Meusburger.

"In the beginning I was a bit shaky because I hadn't played her before and she was using my power against me, so I was really happy to win in the end," Li told the BBC.

"I didn't do well in the last Grand Slam but it didn't mean anything in this match. I have to look forward now.

"The first match is always tough, but I'm starting to find my tennis and I hope I can do well here."

World number two Li, a two-time Grand Slam champion, hopes to get past the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time this year.

Kania, ranked 183rd, had never before played a WTA Tour-level match, let alone appeared at a Grand Slam. The 21-year-old showed few signs of being overawed and broke Li in the first game.

But Li finally began to take control just in the nick of time, breaking Kania as she served for the set at 5-4 and then again two games later to snatch the set.

The reigning Australian Open champion finished the job comfortably after surging into a 5-1 lead in the second set.

Wimbledon results on Monday, the first day of the 2014 championships at the All England Club (x denotes seeded player):

Men

First round
Radek Stepanek (CZE) bt Pablo Cuevas (URU) 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
Gilles Simon (FRA) bt Konstantin Kravchuk (RUS) 6-2, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x17) bt James Ward (GBR) 6-2, 6-2, 6-1
Jimmy Wang (TPE) bt Alejandro Gonzlez (COL) 6-3, 6-3, 6-2
Ernests Gulbis (LAT x12) bt Jurgen Zopp (EST) 7-6 (9/7), 7-5, 7-6 (12/10)
Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) bt Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
Jrmy Chardy (FRA) bt Daniel Cox (GBR) 6-2, 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (6/8), 6-3
Marinko Matosevic (AUS) bt Fernando Verdasco (ESP x18) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
Bernard Tomic (AUS) bt Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
Tomas Berdych (CZE x6) bt Victor Hanescu (ROM) 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-3
Andy Murray (GBR x3) bt David Goffin (BEL) 6-1, 6-4, 7-5
Blaz Rola (SLO) bt Pablo Andjar (ESP) 6-3, 6-1, 6-4
Kevin Anderson (RSA x20) bt Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) bt Filippo Volandri (ITA) 7-6 (7/1), 6-2, 6-4
Tim Puetz (GER) bt Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x11) bt Ryan Harrison (USA) 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 6-2
Leonardo Mayer (ARG) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA x25) 6-3, 2-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) bt Dustin Brown (GER) 6-4, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4)

Women

First round
Victoria Azarenka (BLR x8) bt Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) 6-3, 7-5
Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) bt Johanna Larsson (SWE) 7-6 (7/2), 6-0
Lucie Safarova (CZE x23) bt Julia Goerges (GER) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3)
Polona Hercog (SLO) bt Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 6-4, 6-4
Misaki Doi (JPN) bt Elina Svitolina (UKR) 6-4, 6-1
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS x22) bt Kimiko Date Krumm (JPN) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5
Jarmila Gadjdosova (AUS) bt Stefanie Vegele (SUI) 6-3, 7-6 (8/6)
Mona Barthel (GER) bt Romina Oprandi (SUI) 7-5, 6-0
Kurumi Nara (JPN) bt Anna-Lena Friedsam (GER) 6-4, 6-4
Venus Williams (USA x30) bt Mara Teresa Torr-Flor (ESP) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
Maria Kirilenko (RUS) bt Sloane Stephens (USA x18) 6-2, 7-6 (8/6)
Peng Shuai (CHN) bt Johanna Konta (GBR) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Lauren Davis (USA) bt Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) 6-1, 6-2
Ana Konjuh (CRO) bt Marina Erakovic (NZL) 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) bt Samantha Stosur (AUS x17) 6-3, 6-4
Elena Vesnina (RUS x32) bt Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (AUT) 6-0, 6-4
Barbora Zhlavov Strcov (CZE) bt Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) 6-2, 6-2
Yvonne Meusburger (AUT) bt Vania King (USA) 7-5, 6-3
Li Na (CHN x2) bt Paula Kania (POL) 7-5, 6-2

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