Wimbledon 2018: Zverev through as Nadal inspires Djokovic

London, July 4: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev each booked their places in the second round at Wimbledon on Tuesday (July 3).

As seeds further down the rankings tumble, those at the top and - in the case of Nadal and Djokovic - former champions are staying strong.

Nadal, Djokovic and Zverev each required only three sets to progress, but there were mixed fortunes elsewhere.

And a number of shocks in one particular section of the draw have given Juan Martin del Potro a seemingly straightforward route to the latter stages.

ZVEREV ZEROES IN ON CHALLENGE

Zverev's route through the competition is far from straightforward and Djokovic will soon lie in his path if both players continue at the pace they set on Tuesday.

The German, the fourth seed, was tested by James Duckworth in the opening set but then accelerated out of sight, winning 7-5 6-2 6-0.

Djokovic, meanwhile, faced Tennys Sandgren and, barring a slight wobble in the third set, was similarly dominant.

The Serbian is still returning to the top of his game, but he appears to be taking motivation from rivals like Nadal - a winner against Dudi Sela - for their continued brilliance.

He said: "It inspires me, it inspires a lot of players: after all [Nadal and Roger Federer] have achieved, the titles won, coming back from injuries and still managing to get to the top spot of the world and still winning the biggest tournaments in the world."

Ready @head_tennis 💪🎾 #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/6nPPz9pyLm

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) 3 July 2018

THIEM AND GOFFIN GONE

Dominic Thiem and David Goffin both departed the tournament on Tuesday, losing another two of the top 10 seeds.

French Open finalist was already two sets down when injury ruled him out in the third, while Goffin was completely outclassed by Matthew Ebden, losing 6-4 6-3 6-4.

With Jack Sock also losing, having taken a two-set lead, to Matteo Berrettini, that section of the draw has really opened up for Del Potro.

He defeated Peter Gojowczyk in straight sets and having avoided the absent Andy Murray in the third round, he will now not play Goffin or Sock in the fourth.

SEEDS

Del Potro was not alone as a winning seed, though, with Kei Nishikori battling through, too.

The Japanese was made to work hard by Christian Harrison but emerged 6-2 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-2.

Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios hit an astonishing 42 aces - a career-high - in his defeat of Denis Istomin, as Feliciano Lopez entered a record-breaking 66th consecutive grand slam and saw off Federico Delbonis.

If you can serve like @NickKyrgios, you've got a chance on grass 🚀#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/7jg3ZckxFt

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) 3 July 2018

MEANWHILE...

As the high-profile British star in Andy Murray's absence, Kyle Edmund rose to the occasion with a 6-2 6-3 7-5 win against Alex Bolt.

And unlike some of his rivals, Edmund's early start meant he was finished in time to take in coverage of England's World Cup last-16 meeting with Colombia.

He explained: "I don't know if they did it intentionally, but all the organisers put the Brits on first up on the schedule in time to watch the football later, which is great."

A huge roar of "Come on England" interrupted Djokovic's match as the game in Russia got under way, while Nadal insisted he is still enjoying the finals despite Spain's elimination.

Source: OPTA