Tennis Tickets - Early Wimbledon Action Includes A Few Shakeups

Court is in session at Wimbledon and the world's best netters have poured their first drops of sweat onto the grass at the Grand Slam tournament

. Opening shots have been smacked over the net and dreams have already been squelched as the first round of Wimbledon play comes to a close, and while certain front-runners like Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal have sailed through the opening round in straight sets, others have struggled on the court. Here are some early surprises from opening round tennis action at Wimbledon.

Roger Federer has a first round scare. The defending Wimbledon titleholder gave gamblers a big scare on the opening day of Wimbledon, losing the first two sets in his opening match against the 60th world ranked Alejandro Falla of Columbia. Federer was down 5-7, 4-6 after the second set but rallied in the third, ultimately finishing out the five sets 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-0 for the win. Federer will play Serbia's Ilija Bozoljac in the second round on June 23.

Francesca Schiavone sizzles and fries. Italian netter Schiavone was still in the clouds from winning the recent French Open when Russian Vera Dushevina burst her bubble in the opening round at Wimbledon. The fifth ranked Schiavone fell to world No. 47 Dushevina 6-7, 7-5, 6-1, losing her cool early on and never regaining composure. The visibly upset Schiavone made 38 unforced errors during the game, marking a very forgettable performance for the Italian hotshot.

Dinara Safina withdraws with injury. Dinara Safina, former world No. 1, has had a terrible year in the WTA, and she once again let an injury get the best of her. Safina reached the semifinals at Wimbledon last year but didn't even make it through the first round this year, pulling out of the tournament due to a lower back injury. Safina was replaced by American Melanie Oudin, a quarterfinalist in last year's U.S. Open.

James Blake ousted early. James Blake's three-set loss to Robin Haase of the Netherlands was enough to even make him consider retirement - ouch. Blake spent much of the spring off with tendonitis in his right knee, his ranking slipping down to No. 109 in the ATP. Blake, a former Top Five player, used to be the kind of netter who sold tennis tickets to Grand Slam tournaments, but his play at Wimbledon this year was downright embarrassing and will force him to reevaluate his future on the circuit.

Novak Djokovic goes down to the wire. Third-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia barely escaped the wrath of Belgian Olivier Rochus just in time for the 11 p.m. curfew on Centre Court. Hitting the winning shot at 10:59 p.m., Djokovic - an early favorite amongst title contenders - defeated Rochus in five sets 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. The three-hour and 51-minute match ended tournament action on the first day of Wimbledon, and now Djokovic will take a quick breather before facing American Taylor Dent in the second round.

The first round of Wimbledon tournament play proved far more exciting than initial seeds determined, and the few upsets from the opening round will carry over into the next thrilling rounds as Wimbledon sails through the end of June.

by: Pat Smith

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