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Murray thrills crowd, but Bouchard leaves

London - Andy Murray defied sweltering temperatures to kick off his bid for a second Wimbledon title with a comfortable 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 victory over Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin on Tuesday.

As the mercury soared to 30°C at the All England Club, Murray avoided being dragged into a draining battle in the Centre Court sunshine, winning in two hours and 12 minutes to book a second round meeting with Robin Haase or Alejandro Falla.

Meanwhile golden girl Eugenie Bouchard, who reached the Wimbledon final last year, was dumped out in the first round by China's Duan Ying-Ying, the world number 117.

The 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 defeat against the qualifier was 12th seeded Bouchard's 12th loss in her last 14 matches and will see her drop out of the world top 20.

The 21-year-old Canadian was one of the show-stealers at Wimbledon in 2014 where she delighted fans and media with her fondness for pop star Justin Bieber and TV show The Big Bang Theory.

On Tuesday, she committed 10 double faults and 23 unforced errors against Duan, who had never previously beaten a player inside the world top 75.


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