Nalbandian crashes out in Wimbledon first round
Seventh seed David Nalbandian knocked out in first round
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Monday, 23, Jun 2008 11:04
Seventh seed David Nalbandian has become the first high-profile casualty at Wimbledon 2008 after he was knocked out in straight sets by qualifier Frank Dancevic.
The Canadian, ranked 95th in the world, only qualified for the grand slam after winning a Challenger tournament in Surbiton.
But the 23-year-old stunned his highly-rated opponent with a series of mature passages of play and high-quality tennis in all departments as he dominated the match and won 6-4 6-2 6-4 in a little over an hour and a half.
Nalbandian, a losing finalist to Lleyton Hewitt in 2002, was almost joined by the Australian on the scrap heap but the 20th seed eventually came through a tough first-round examination from Robin Haase.
The Dutchman took Hewitt to five sets before eventually losing out 6-7 6-3 6-3 6-7 6-2.
However, another men's seed to fall at the first hurdle was much-fancied Croatian Ivo Karlovic.
The 6ft 10in giant, seeded 18th, is a renowned grass court opponent because of his huge frame, which gives him a distinct advantage with his serve - a major plus point on grass.
But he was undone by German outsider Simon Stadler, who triumphed in four sets 4-6 7-6 6-3 7-5, despite Karlovic serving 23 aces during the match.