Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
JOE KRISHNAN

Novak Djokovic surges into Wimbledon second round after straight sets victory over Philip Kohlschreiber

Reigning champion Novak Djokovic has booked his place in the second round of Wimbledon after battling past Philip Kohlschreiber.

The Serbian rarely had things his own way but stepped up a gear to defeat the German in straight sets, eventually prevailing 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.

The Centre Court crowd turned up in their droves to see the world number one in action but would have been surprised to see how slow he started.

Djokovic found himself broken inside the first game before producing a masterclass to take the next four games as he went on to seal the first set 6-3.

The 32-year-old blundered again in the second, failing to get past the 35-year-old only for the veteran to hold his serve.

But back came Djokovic, with the pair level pegging at 4-4. Djokovic was then handed three break points on a silver platter but somehow let Kohlschreiber off the hook.

It only seemed to anger the Serbian as he levelled at 5-5 before breaking and sealing the second set in the style of a true champion.

From there, it was a case of when, not if, Djokovic would clinch his spot in the second round, but Kohlschreiber was determined to make him work for it.

But after Kohlschreiber conceded his serve in the sixth game, the 15-time Grand Slam winner simply highlighted his dominance on court to break in the final game and continue his defence of his Wimbledon title.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.