London — World No1 Rafael Nadal breezed into the Wimbledon second round on Tuesday with a 6-3 6-3 6-2 win over Israel’s Dudi Sela as the Spaniard returned to action since claiming his 11th French Open title. Two-time women’s champion Petra Kvitova crashed out in the first round when she was beaten 6-4 4-6 6-0 by unheralded Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Kvitova was the bookmakers’ favourite for the women’s title at the All England Club after an impressive return to form in 2018. Nadal, the Wimbledon champion in 2008 and 2010, also managed to avoid falling victim to a player ranked outside the world top 100 for what would have been the fifth time in his last six visits to the All England Club. "It’s great always to play here in Wimbledon, especially on centre court," said Nadal after seeing off world No127 Sela. "I’m just happy to be through, of course, and, yes, this match gives me positive feelings. There’s still room to improve but after a while without playing on grass … it’s ...

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