Erratic Stan Wawrinka sees off teenager Taylor Fritz, Nick Kyrgios through

ByReuters

Updated 28/06/2016 at 20:22 GMT

Round-up: Stan Wawrinka found life tough against American teenager Taylor Fritz in the Wimbledon first round, while Nick Kyrgios overcame Radek Stepanek.

Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka celebrates winning his match against USA's Taylor Fritz

Image credit: Reuters

WAWRINKA FINDS RANGE TO PROGRESS

4-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Taylor Fritz (U.S.) 7-6(4) 6-1 6-7(2) 6-4 - The Swiss fourth seed was far from his best, with his groundstrokes uncharacteristically erratic, but his fearsome one-handed backhand and experience were enough to see off the 18-year-old making his tournament debut. Fritz, the youngest man in the draw, showed few nerves in the first set as he matched the twice grand slam champion shot-for-shot in a punishing baseline battle on Number One Court.

But his confidence seemed to evaporate after he lost the tiebreak. He won just one game in the second set as Wawrinka found his range and bossed the exchanges. Wawrinka struggled for concentration in a scrappy third set in which he made a string of unforced errors and he lost the tiebreak. Visibly angry with himself, the 31-year-old stepped up his game to close out the match in the fourth. He will next face...

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DEL POTRO DEMOLISHES ROBERT ON GRAND SLAM RETURN

Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) beat Stephane Robert (France) 6-1 7-5 6-0 - A year ago Del Potro, 27, was undergoing a third operation on his left wrist with his career in doubt. So it was heartening to watch the former world number four in Grand Slam action for the first time in two and a half years at the All England Club on Tuesday, unless your name happened to be Stephane Robert. The Frenchman was pummelled 6-1 7-5 6-0 as Del Potro, playing under a protected ranking, set up a heavyweight second-round clash against Wawrinka - a match that in the past would have been on the second-week schedule.

"My last two to three years have been too complicated and too tough," Del Potro, whose last grand slam match was at the 2014 Australian Open, told reporters. "Today I am enjoying other things a lot more. One of the saddest things was not having my normal life, my routine."

Juan Martin Del Potro - Stan Wawrinka - 2016

Image credit: AFP

KYRGIOS OVERCOMES STEPANEK

15-Nick Kyrgios (Australia) beat Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) 6-4 6-3 6-7(9) 6-1 - Australian 15th seed Nick Kyrgios overcame the gritty challenge of Radek Stepanek, foiling the Czech player's bid to become the oldest man to win a Grand Slam singles match in almost 25 years. After the players exchanged breaks of serve early on, Kyrgios made the decisive break of the first set in the tenth game.

Kyrgios took the second on a single break and had the chance to wrap things up in straight sets when he served for the match at 5-4.But the Czech, at 37 Kyrgios' senior by 16 years, broke back and took the third set in a marathon tie-break 11-9, luring Kyrgios to the net with one of many drop shot before passing him with a cross-court forehand. That burst of energy seemed to tire the Czech, and Kyrgios - who next plays Germany's unseeded Dustin Brown - stormed through the fourth set with two further breaks of serve to wrap up victory in two hours and 26 minutes.

Australia's Nick Kyrgios in action against Czech Republic's Radek Stepanek.

Image credit: Eurosport

BEDENE LOSES TO GASQUET

7-Richard Gasquet (France) beat Aljaz Bedene (Britain) 6-3 6-4 6-3 - British number two Aljaz Bedene lost to seventh seed and last year's Wimbledon semi-finalist Richard Gasquet. World number 56 Bedene is the fifth British man to lose in the first round. Frenchman Gasquet hit 16 winners off his explosive backhand side, and never really looked back despite Bedene breaking back to close to 4-3 behind in the opening set.