Federer off to flying start after Serena shows rare emotion

LONDON: Defending champion Serena Williams, who described her recent struggles against life-threatening blood clots as like being on her death bed, broke down in tears on Tuesday on her Wimbledon return.

The four-time winner, watched by US pop superstar Diana Ross and England’s Ashes-winning cricketers in the Royal Box, battled past Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in what was only her third match in 11 months.

“I usually don’t cry, I don’t understand it. It’s been so hard, I never dreamt I’d be here,” said Williams, whose traumatic year started with a foot injury and then continued with emergency surgery to removed blood clots on her lungs.

Meanwhile, six-time men’s champion Roger Federer barely broke sweat in clinching a 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan.

Third-seeded Federer suffered a shock quarter-final exit against Tomas Berdych last year, but never looked in trouble against tournament debutant Kukushkin.

The Swiss star, holder of a record 16 Grand Slam titles, fired down 12 aces and unleashed 53 winners in his quickfire Centre Court win.

Three-time finalist Andy Roddick eased into the second round with a 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 over German qualifier Andreas Beck, while former US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro beat Flavio Cipolla 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.

On a day when 95 singles matches were due to be played because of Monday’s torrential downpours, second seed Novak Djokovic begins against Jeremy Chardy of France.

Women’s world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki raced into the second round as she routed Spain’s Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-2, 6-1, taking just 59 minutes to demolish the world No 105.

Former world No 1 Jelena Jankovic, the 15th seed, slumped to a first round loss, going down to Spanish left-hander Maria Jose Martinez 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

Results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

First round: 20-Florian Mayer (Germany) bt Daniel Evans (Britain) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 6-4; Karol Beck (Slovakia) bt Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; Andreas Seppi (Italy) bt Albert Montanes (Spain) 6-4, 6-4, 7-5; 13-Viktor Troicki (Serbia) bt Maximo Gonzalez (Argentina) 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3; 3-Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-2; Xavier Malisse (Belgium) bt Mischa Zverev (Germany) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2; Lukasz Kubot (Poland) bt Arnaud Clement (France) 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 6-4; Bernard Tomic (Australia) bt 29-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) 7-5, 6-3, 7-5; 21-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) bt Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), 9-7; Lu Yen-hsun (Taiwan) bt Tommy Robredo (Spain) 6-4, 6-4, 6-1; Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) bt 27-Marin Cilic (Croatia) 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Victor Hanescu (Romania) bt Jaroslav Pospisil (Czech Republic) 6-4, 6-3, 6-2; 24-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) bt Flavio Cipolla (Italy) 6-1, 6-4, 6-3; 8-Andy Roddick (US) bt Andreas Beck (Germany) 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3; Tobias Kamke (Germany) bt Blaz Kavcic (Slovenia) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-1; 26-Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) bt Andrey Golubev (Kazakhstan) 6-3, 6-3, 0-0 – Golubev retired; Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) bt 23-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) 7-5, 3-1 – Tipsarevic retired; 25-Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) bt Marinko Matosevic (Australia) 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2; 15-Gilles Simon (France) bt Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3); Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) bt Daniel Cox (Britain) 6-2, 6-4, 6-4; Robin Haase (Netherlands) bt Pere Riba (Spain) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Women’s singles:

First round: 4-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 6-4, 3-2 — Rybarikova retired; Elena Baltacha (Britain) bt Mona Barthel (Germany) 6-2, 6-4; 1-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) bt Arantxa Parra Santonja (Spain) 6-2, 6-1; 25-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) bt Vitalia Diatchenko (Russia) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3; Petra Martic (Croatia) bt Vania King (US) 5-7, 6-2, 6-2; 7-Serena Williams (US) bt Aravane Rezai (France) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1; Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) bt 15-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3; Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) bt Alize Cornet (France) 7-5, 6-2; Virginie Razzano (France) bt Sania Mirza (India) 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-3; 14-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) bt Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-4, 7-6 (7-3); Tamira Paszek (Austria) bt Ayumi Morita (Japan) 5-7, 6-3, 6-0; Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) bt Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) 7-6 (9-7), 6-4; 11-Andrea Petkovic (Germany) bt Stephanie Foretz Gacon (France) 6-3, 6-4; Anne Keothavong (Britain) bt Naomi Broady (Britain) 6-2, 6-4; Rebecca Marino (Canada) bt Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (Austria) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5); 29-Roberta Vinci (Italy) bt Vera Dushevina (Russia) 7-5, 6-2; Nadia Petrova (Russia) bt Vesna Dolonts (Russia) 6-3, 6-4; Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) bt Chang Kai-chen (Taiwan) 6-4, 6-2; Simona Halep (Romania) bt Bojana Jovanovski (Serbia) 6-1, 6-2; Stephanie Dubois (Canada) bt Irina Falconi (US) 6-2, 6-2; 8-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) bt Alexa Glatch (US) 6-2, 6-2; 32-Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) bt Camila Giorgi (Italy) 6-2, 6-1.

Monday’s remaining result:Men’s singles:

First round: 4-Andy Murray (Britain) bt Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-0.—Agencies

London 2012 unveils ‘golden cheesegrater’ Olympic torch

The relay torch for the London 2012 Olympic games is seen as it is unveiled at St Pancras station in central London. -AP Photo /Dawn News

LONDON: The London 2012 Olympics has unwittingly acquired its first iconic image after unveiling an Olympic torch design which looks like a huge cheesegrater on Wednesday.

The gold-coloured aluminum torch has the meshed appearance of the useful kitchen implement due to the presence of 8,000 holes supposed to represent each person who will carry it on the torch relay.

Ignoring the unwelcome comparsions, the designers said its triangular shape symbolises the three times that London has staged the Games in 1908, 1948 and 2012, the faster, higher stronger motto of the Olympic movement and the sport, education and culture triple vision of the 2012 Games.

After having its flame ignited by sunlight at Ancient Olympia, the torch relay will begin next May at Land’s End, the most south westerly point of the country, and travel to the islands of the Outer Hebrides north of Scotland before finishing with the symbolic lighting of the cauldron in a yet-to-be-revealed location in the Olympic Park on July 27.

Organisers want half the 8,000 torch relay runners to be aged between 12 and 24 and the other half to be made up of people who have inspired others or made a contribution to their local community. The public can nominate people for the role.

A promise that the torch would be carbon-free failed to materialise and instead it will burn a traditional gas mixture.

“We were very close, we just didn’t get there,” said Games head Seb Coe.

Pakistan contingent to depart on 20th

LAHORE: A 90-member Pakistan contingent will be departing for Athens, Greece, on June 20 for the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2011.

Over 7,500 Special Olympics athletes from 185 nations will compete in 22 events, starting from June 25.

Five athletes denied visas to participate in Special Olympics

This is the first time ever that a visa has been rejected for the Special Olympics Pakistan team. -File Photo

KARACHI: The Greek Embassy in Islamabad has rejected five visas for the Special Olympics delegation heading for the Olympic World Games in Athens, Greece, on Monday.

“Three athletes, namely, basketball players Ayaz Ahmed and Sabah Ilyas and badminton player Mohammad Asif Khan Ghauri along with Global Youth Activation Summit (GYAS) team leader Sarah Alam and the contingent’s cameraman Nofil Naqvi have been refused the visas,” Head of the Delegation Ronak Lakhani told Dawn on Friday.

“Besides, having to leave without them, we are now also facing another problem of how to send back photographs and footage of Team Pakistan’s performance at the World Games,” she added.

Asked as to what was the reason for refusing visas, she said: “They have given us no reasons while flatly refusing to do the needful.”

According to a Special Olympics of Pakistan (SOP) Media Coordinator Saima Mohsin, this is the first time ever that a visa has been rejected for the Special Olympics Pakistan team.

“The Pakistan delegation has participated in six Olympic games all over the world since 1991. In 2007 in Shanghai, China, Team Pakistan won 15 gold medals, 20 silver medals and 16 bronze medals. The SOP had high hopes for these World Games too,” she said.

“Our athletes were due to participate in eight sports: athletics, aquatics, badminton, basketball, bocce [a ballgame for low ability athletes], cycling, football and table tennis.

“While the SOP office appreciates security and immigration concerns, it is deeply disappointed by the Greek Embassy’s decision,” she concluded.