Reigning champion Petra Kvitova began the defence of her Wimbledon title in emphatic style as she thrashed Holland’s Kiki Bertens in straight sets.
Kvitova lost just one point on her serve during the contest, which came with a double fault in the final game, as she beat Bertens 6-1 6-0 in 35 minutes.
It was the Czech’s first competitive match on grass this season but she showed few signs of rust on Centre Court and will face either Japan’s Kurumi Nara or Poland’s Magda Linette in round two.
Kvitova has endured early exits at both the Australian and French Open this year but the 6ft left-hander is more comfortable on grass and on this evidence can be a major contender to claim a third title at SW19.
The first break for Kvitova came in the second game and while Bertens got off the mark to make it 3-1, a thundering forehand gave the number two seed a second break and she served out the first set in just 18 minutes.
Bertens was simply unable to cope with the power and angle of her opponent’s serve and the second set was even more comfortable as Kvitova closed out a comfortable win.
