Three American champions made it through to the second round at Wimbledon today with little fuss.
Men's 1992 champion Andre Agassi brushed Dutchman Peter Wessels aside 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-4 in his first-round tie and 200th career Grand Slam match on Centre Court, where earlier women's defending chamion Venus Williams had pummelled Japan's Shinobu Asagoe 6-2, 6-3 into submission.
Women's 1999 champion Lindsay Davenport, whom Venus beat in last year's final, raced through on Court One with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Slovak Martina Sucha.
Agassi next plays British wildcard Jamie Delgado, who beat Ukraine's Andrei Medvedev in straight sets to make it five British men into round two.
Fifth-seeded Aussie Lleyton Hewitt, buoyed by his successive wins at Queens' and Den Bosch, made a winning start against Swede Magnus Gustafsson, advancing 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.
He now faces US qualifier Taylor Dent, who humiliated former French Open champion Sergi Bruguera of Spain 6-0, 6-1, 6-4.
Venus earlier had to brush away several cobwebs to overcome Asagoe.
The champion, beaten in the opening round of the French Open, found her grasscourt feet only with some difficulty before booking a second-round match against Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.
Also moving on was Yugoslav 14th seed Jelena Dokic, who after a tight first set saw off Paraguay's Rosanna De Los Rios 7-5, 6-1.
Dokic, a semi-finalist last year when she was playing under the Australian banner, will now meet unseeded American Jennifer Hopkins, who ousted Mariana Diaz-Oliva of Argentina 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 before firmly dismissing the idea that women players were more interested in being models than tennis stars.
Belgian seventh seed and French Open finalist Kim Clijsters brushed aside Giulia Casoni of Italy 6-0, 6-2.
Other women going through included Spanish youngster Marta Marrero, who beat Joannette Kruger of South Africa 4-6, 6-3, 8-6.
Marrero next meets US 17th seed Meghann Shaughnessy, who defeated former French Open champion Iva Majoli of Croatia 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.
There was better news for South Africa as 11th seed Amanda Coetzer beat Stephanie Foretz of France 6-4, 6-4 to seal a match against another Frenchwoman, Emilie Loit 6-4, 6-2 conqueror of Briton Hannah Collin.
AFP