Andy Murray maintained his record of never losing in the Wimbledon first round with an encouraging victory over fellow Briton Ryan Peniston.

Two-time champion Murray, ranked 40th in the world, started slowly against wildcard Peniston on Centre Court.

But the Scot showed his greater class to fight off early break points, before going up a gear to win 6-3 6-0 6-1.

British number one Cameron Norrie, a semi-finalist last year, won 6-3 4-6 6-1 6-4 against Czech Tomas Machac.

But Dan Evans, seeded 27th, lost 6-2 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 to France's Quentin Halys.

The home quartet were among the small number of players who could complete their first-round matches on Tuesday, with the all-British affair between Murray and world number 268 Peniston taking place under the Centre Court roof, where Evans also played in a late-night finish.

In-between, as the rain that decimated day two beat down on the Court One roof, 12th seed Norrie came through a tricky test against qualifier Machac.

On a court where he won in the last 16 and quarter-finals last year, Norrie produced a largely composed display as he started his bid to replicate the best Grand Slam run of his career.

"It was a lot of fun coming out to that court, so special, a lot of good memories there," he said.

"I reckon I played a really good match with some normal drops in there but there was a lot to learn from and take from that match. It was a good day and nice to get the win."

Both Norrie and Murray, who could face each other in the fourth round, are still waiting to find out their next opponents.

Norrie, 27, will play American Christopher Eubanks or Brazil's Thiago Monteiro, while Murray, 36, faces Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem.

Those contests were among many matches scheduled to take place on Tuesday but cancelled by heavy and prolonged downpours in south-west London.

Fellow Britons Katie Boulter and George Loffhagen started their matches in the morning before being forced off the outside courts shortly after 12:00 BST.

Play was suspended for several hours and, with the weather not forecast to improve much over the rest of evening, almost all of the day's other matches were called off.

Murray shows 'good signs' in straightforward win

On the 10th anniversary of his historic first Wimbledon win, Murray has talked bullishly about his chances of going deep in the draw over the next fortnight.

The former world number one, whose career was saved by having a metal cap inserted into his hip in 2019, says he is as physically and mentally prepared as he has been in recent years.

Being one of the most experienced players on the grass, a surface many younger rivals on the ATP Tour have struggled to get to grips with, is also a positive he has been pointing to.

Knowing his way around a grass court enabled Murray to win back-to-titles at Surbiton and Nottingham earlier in the British summer, albeit at a level below the main tour.

A chastening defeat by Australia's Alex de Minaur at Queen's did not dampen his spirits, the Scot insisting it was nothing to panic about.

Defeat against a fellow Briton he was expected to breeze past would have been cause for concern but, after a slow start, he encountered few problems.

Dropping just four games was Murray's second most-convincing scoreline at Wimbledon, after a 6-1 6-1 6-0 win over Slovenia's Blaz Rola in 2014.

"I was quite nervous at the beginning and I wanted to play well but once I got the break in that first set I think I played some good stuff," said Murray, who also lifted the Wimbledon trophy in 2016.

"There were good signs there."

Peniston, 27, was making his debut on the most famous court in tennis, although he had been there as a fan in 2015 to watch fellow Briton Heather Watson push top seed Serena Williams in a thriller.

Returning this time as a player, against the iconic name in British tennis, was a completely different scenario.

Peniston did not look daunted in the opening stages and was the better player as he created two break points against Murray.

Murray was particularly struggling to get his forehand working, leaking errors off that wing, but showed his ability to problem solve and survive before taking the opening set.

With the returning Roger Federer nodding in approval on the front row of the Royal Box, Murray's class started to shine through.

The Scot began to find more rhythm, enabling him to unleash more power and put Peniston under severe pressure.

The left-hander from Essex won only 36% of the points in a one-sided second set, Murray continuing to show his ruthlessness in a third set where he also broke serve three times.

When Peniston pushed a forehand long on Murray's second match point, Murray gave a muted and respectful shake of the fist before a warm embrace with an opponent who has become a friend in recent years.

Tennis not on Evans' agenda for a 'little while'

Evans, 33, was another player who was finally able to return to the court, going on to Centre Court at about 19:30 BST to finish his match against Halys.

The British number two trailed 6-2 6-3 in a match that started late on Monday but was moved to Tuesday because of fading light.

With a pumped home crowd behind him, Evans thrived off the energy and looked reinvigorated as he pulled a set back.

A tight fourth set could have gone either way before Evans handed over a match point with a double fault in what proved to be the final game.

"You need to put your game on the court whenever you get a chance in a five-set match, and I didn't do it for the first two sets. That's ultimately what let me down," said Evans, who has lost seven of his past eight matches.

On his upcoming plans, he added: "Tennis won't be on my agenda for a little while.

"It's been a long six months or seven months. It's important to recharge and get ready for a good swing in America, which I enjoy."

Source: BBC

BDST: 1109 HRS, JULY 5, 2023
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