No slipups from Novak as record quest begins

Rublev races through

Seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia was the first men's winner of the day, beating Australia's Max Purcell 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.

Fellow Russians Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova, as well as two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, were also first-day winners.

World No 1 Iga Swiatek racked up the first five games on her way to sweeping past China's Zhu Lin.

Reigning US Open and French Open champion Swiatek came through 6-1, 6-3 against her 34thranked opponent.

"I feel confident and did a good job of adjusting to grass," said the 22-year-old Pole, who has yet to get past the last 16 at Wimbledon.

Also making the next round were men's fourth seed Casper Ruud and eighth-seeded Jannik Sinner.

This year's tournament is being played under tightened security over fears that climate activists could disrupt matches following high-profile protests at other sporting events.

Three protesters from Just Stop Oil interrupted cricket's second Ashes Test at Lord's in London last week, sprinkling the group's trademark orange powder on the field.

"Of course we've taken account of what we've seen elsewhere so security has been uplifted in various places around the grounds," said All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton.

The extra security measures dampened the spirits of cold and wet fans lining up in Wimbledon's famous queue.

One fan tweeted he had been waiting for five hours, blasting the delay as "shambolic".

AFP