WIMBLEDON, England — With Wimbledon devolving into a fashion contest, former champion Lindsay Davenport’s retro getup may have trumped all other outfits.
Her sleeveless white top and pleated skirt were very 1980s, and the wrap on her right leg — with bandages extending from mid-thigh to mid-calf — looked like something out of the British Museum.
Playing her first match at Wimbledon since 2005, Davenport whacked enough winners to compensate for a sore knee Tuesday, and she hobbled past Renata Voracova 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.
Moving more comfortably into the second round were Maria Sharapova and her new all-white, tuxedo-style outfit, which prompted 13 fashion-related questions at her postmatch news conference. Other winners in straight sets included defending champion Venus Williams, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick on a second successive mild, dry day at the All England Club.
While photographers focused on Sharapova’s ensemble, and Roddick poked fun at Roger Federer’s opening-day sweater, Davenport resorted to tactics that had her winning ugly. Back on the women’s tour after a hiatus to have her first child, the 1999 Wimbledon champion showed she still possesses the grass-court game to beat anyone — even on one leg.
“I wouldn’t come here if I didn’t think I would do really well,” Davenport said.
Davenport, seeded only 25th, had help: Voracova double-faulted to fall behind 5-3 in the final set. Davenport lost the first point of the next game, then ripped an ace, a service winner, another ace and another service winner for the victory. She looked to the sky in relief and limped off the court.
Wimbledon / At a glance
A look at Wimbledon on Tuesday:
How the top seeds fared: MEN — No. 2 Rafael Nadal, No. 6 Andy Roddick, No. 8 Richard Gasquet, No. 9 James Blake, No. 12 Andy Murray advanced. No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko and No. 26 Ivan Ljubicic lost. WOMEN — No. 2 Jelena Jankovic, No. 3 Maria Sharapova, No. 7 Venus Williams, No. 9 Dinara Safina, No. 10 Daniela Hantuchova, No. 13 Vera Zvonareva, No. 16 Victoria Azarenka, No. 20 Francesca Schiavone advanced.
Today’s top matches: No. 1 Roger Federer vs. Robin Soderling, No. 3 Novak Djokovic vs. Marat Safin; No. 1 Ana Ivanovic vs. Nathalie Dechy, No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Kateryna Bondarenko, No. 6 Serena Williams vs. Urszula Radwanska.
Stat of the day: 57 — Ai Sugiyama’s record consecutive appearance in a Grand Slam main draw by a man or woman, marked Tuesday with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Yanina Wickmayer.
Quote of the day: “I love menswear in general. You know, I love tuxedo jackets.” — Sharapova, responding to one of 13 questions relating to fashion during a news conference
On TV today: 5 a.m., ESPN2
The Associated Press
