Grass growing on impressive Del Potro

LONDON // The No 5 seed Juan Martin del Potro made a mockery of his supposed lack of grasscourt prowess by beating the experienced Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 in the first round of Wimbledon. The Argentine, 20, elevated to the top of the draw following Rafa Nadal's withdrawal on Friday, ran last year's quarter-finalist Clement ragged with a precise mix of angled winners and powerful serving.

Del Potro, who has only won two matches in two previous visits to Wimbledon, put Clement out of his misery when the Frenchman ballooned a forehand long after an hour and 37 minutes on Court One. He will face the 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia or American Robby Ginepri for a place in round three. Meanwhile, the No 12 seed Nikolay Davydenko swept aside Britain's Daniel Evans 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 and Leonardo Mayer of Argentina beat Oscar Hernandez 6-0, 6-0, 6-3.

* Reuters