Goffin enjoys "perfect start" against Ward

11th seed David Goffin dispatched Britain's wild card player Alexander Ward in straight sets on the opening day of Wimbledon. In other action, Kirsten Flipkens also qualified, while Yanina Wickmayer and Ruben Bemelmans were ousted. This made 2 out of 4 for the Belgians on the opening day.

Goffin sent Ward packing in an hour and a half, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. The Belgian did not face a single break point in the whole match and had "the perfect start" as he called it. Before the match, Goffin was most afraid of the possible impact of the English fans, but he proved his worth on the court.

David Goffin, a rising star in Belgian tennis, defeated Novak Djokovic in an exhibition event called "The Boodles" last Wednesday (6-3, 7-5) displaying his good form. Djokovic said about this that "Goffin will soon enter the world's top-10." Goffin is now facing the French qualifier Roger-Vasselin, but it is too early to talk about a possible quarter-final against Djokovic.

Sizzling Flipkens needs just 50 minutes

Another Belgian who impressed, was Kirsten Flipkens. A former Wimbledon champion in the junior category, Flipkens (WTA-51) beat American Nicole Gibbs (WTA-76) 6-3, 6-1, needing just 50 minutes on the London grass. Flipkens was particularly happy with her service.

For two other Belgians, the opening round was the last chapter: qualifier Ruben Bemelmans (ATP-188) fought hard but was eventually beaten by Thomaz Bellucci (ATP-62): 8-6 in the fifth set. Limburger Bemelmans just missed a surprise victory, but stays focused on his main goal: getting back into the top-100.

In the women's draw, a volatile Yanina Wickmayer lost the first set against 15th seed Karolina Pliskova of Slovakia 6-2, in order to take the second 6-0. Wickmayer came close to a stunning victory, but lost the third set 8-6.

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