It’s easy for ‘early starter’ Stosur at Wimbledon

Practice made perfect for Australia’s Samantha Stosur today as the US Open champion made it through to the second round for the first time in three years with a two-set romp over Carla Suarez Navarro, of Spain.

As Flavia Pennetta became the first seed to fall on the opening day, the 16th seed going out 6-4, 6-3 to fellow Italian Camila Giorgi, Stosur made no such mistake against Navarro, winning 6-1, 6-3 in 62 minutes on Court Three.

Stosur said: “I was able to come here early and practice hard and it paid off. That was probably the best I’ve played on grass in recent years.”

Navarro, at Wimbledon for the first time since 2009, lost the first five games of an opening set that lasted just 27 minutes. The 23-year-old broke Stosur in the fourth game of the second set but lost the next game to love and was sent packing.