Former Ohio State player Blaz Rola was routed 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in 1 hour, 28 minutes by Australian Matthew Ebden today on the first day of Wimbledon.
Rola, a Slovenian who was NCAA singles champion for the Buckeyes in 2013, was broken five times by Ebden, ranked No. 148 in the world. Rola, ranked 93rd, did not earn a break point on Ebden’s serve.
No. 1 women's seed Serena Williams beat 113th-ranked Margarita Gasparyan of Russia 6-4, 6-1 to extend her Grand Slam winning streak to 22 matches as she pursues a fourth straight major title.
Things were more straightforward for defending men's champion Novak Djokovic, who opened play on Centre Court and led all the way for a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.