After edging past a British wildcard Naomi Cavaday in the first round, Martina Hingis ruled herself out as a serious contender for the ladies' singles crown this year.

The 1997 champion had to save two match points and play three sets to defeat the teenager ranked 232 in the world.

"After this match I don’t see myself as a contender for the title," Hingis said. (More about Hingis vs. Cavaday match here)

Martina still isn’t sure if she made the right decision, which is to compete in Wimbledon despite a left hip injury which has bothered her for two months. Read more »

I will start with the most interesting match of the second day, and that is the first round match between No. 23 seed Venus Williams and unseeded Russian teenager Alla Kudryavtseva.

World No.59 Alla Kudryavtseva was close to victory, but simply didn’t make use of the numerous opportunities she had. Eventually, she was defeated 2-6 6-3 7-5, leaving the court frustrated and in tears. Still, in this match the young Russian showed that she has a great potential.

Defending champion Amelie Mauresmo easily defeated world No. 158 Jamea Jackson 6-1 6-3. Maybe this is the beginning of Mauresmo’s better results after an unsatisfactory first half of the year? Read more »

Svetlana Kuznetsova has a new image which she presented in her opening match on the second day of Wimbledon. She looks completely different, sporting a long blonde braided weave. Compare the photos: 1st one is from the French Open, the 2nd one shows Svetlana’s new look.

My opinion: I’m not a fan of such hairstyles, but it’s not bad for a change.

Uh, I almost forgot the more important fact…Kuznetsova reached the second round beating Julia Vakulenko of Ukraine 4-6 6-4 6-3.

Reminder: On Wednesday, June 27th, Kuznetsova celebrates her 22nd birthday.

(source: Off the Baseline, photos: Getty Images)

On a rain-interrupted first day of Wimbledon, top-seeded Justine Henin and seventh-seeded Serena Williams eased into the round two.

Justine Henin of Belgium needed just 55 minutes to beat Argentine qualifier Jorgelina Cravero 6-3 6-0.

The 25-year-old Belgian took the opportunity following her victory to dismiss suggestions that she was considering a retirement in two years time due to injuries. Read more »

Former champion Martina Hingis, seeded-ninth, had to save two match points in the second set against a British wildcard Naomi Cavaday. The Swiss reached the second round defeating the promising teenager 6-7 7-5 6-0.

At the moment when Hingis was so close to losing the match, her extensive experience had a major role; she didn’t seem nervous at all. On the other hand, her opponent Cavaday, ranked 232nd in the world, wasn’t strong enough to seal the victory when she had the two match points in her hands, and after the lost opportunity, she simply lost confidence and mental strength to eventually let Martina win the deciding set 6-0.

BTW, the court where Hingis played her opening match is sometimes called the “Graveyard of Champions” since many seeded players were upset there, which is what nearly happened to the Swiss today.

In the second round, world No.11 Hingis will face Aiko Nakamura of Japan.