Roger Federer got off to a perfect start in the defence of his Wimbledon title
by beating Britain's Alex Bogdanovic in straight sets on Centre Court.
The top seed and world number one was an overwhelming favourite against his
young opponent, ranked 295th in the world, and looked in ominous form.
He took the opening two sets 6-3 6-3 with some smooth tennis against the Brit.
And Bogdanovic's resistance broke down totally in the third set as Federer took it 6-0 to close out the match.
Nine-times champion Martina Navratilova enjoyed a perfect start to her first
singles campaign for a decade, crushing Catalina Castano 6-0 6-1.
The 47-year-old was awarded a wild card by the All England Club, giving
British tennis fans the opportunity to see her in singles action again for one
last time at SW19.
And she got an early foothold with a break of serve in game two against her 24-year-old
opponent.
The young Colombian had little answer to Navratilova's experience as she lost just one game in progressing to round two.
Navratilova will next face Gisela Dulko, the woman who thrashed her in the first round of the recent French Open at
Roland Garros.
Dulko put paid to former semi-finalist Jelena Dokic's hopes with a 6-3 6-3 win.
Women's second seed Anastasia Myskina is safely through after a routine victory over Lubomira Kurhajcova of Slovakia.
The Russian was made to fight hard during a see-saw first set before eventually taking it 7-5.
The second set was much easier for Myskina as she raced through it 6-1.
2002 men's singles champion Lleyton Hewitt is safely through to round two after overpowering unseeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer in straight sets.
Hewitt raced through the first set 6-2 before Melzer made a better fight of the second, eventually losing it 6-4.
The third set was comfortable for Hewitt, who only made nine unforced errors in progressing. He won it 6-2.
Goran Ivanisevic finally returned to the scene of his greatest triumph and eased past Mikhail Youzhny and into round two.
He roared to a 6-3 7-6 6-2 victory on Centre Court.
Ivanisevic, making his first appearance at SW19 since his sensational victory
over Pat Rafter in the final three years ago, will finish his 16-year professional
career at the end of the tournament.
Any suggestions of Venus Williams' impending demise as a Grand Slam icon
looked vastly exaggerated on Court One as she crushed Switzerland's Marie-Gayanay Mikaelian.
The twice former Wimbledon champion romped to a crushing 6-3 6-0 victory in just 48 minutes.
The unseeded Swiss tried to trade punches with Williams in the first set, but simply had no answer to her opponent's power.
Another title fancy - teenage starlet Maria Sharapova - began her bid with a convincing victory.
The blonde Russian stormed past Ukranian Yulia Beygelzimer 6-2 6-1 with a highly-impressive serving display, never facng break point in the entire match.
Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Julien Boutter to reach the second round.
The Spaniard, much more at home on clay, has never gone beyond round four in SW19.
But he got his latest bid for grass glory off to the perfect start with a straight-sets victory over the unseeded Frenchman.
Ferrero, seeded six this year, progressed 6-4 7-6(7-4) 6-3.
Sebastien Grosjean, who is in Ferrero's quarter, also eased into round two.
The 10th seed, who recently reached the final at Queen's Club, beat French compatriot Thierry Ascione 6-4 6-2 6-4.
British number one Anne Keothavong is through after a straight-sets win over Nicole Pratt.
Keothavong, ranked 147 places below her Australian opponent in the world
rankings, won easily 6-3 6-1.
Amanda Janes, one of 13 British wild cards, threatened a big shock on day one before finally going out to 11th seed Ai Sugiyama.
Janes took the first set 6-3 and looked on target for a famous victory.
But in between the rain delays Sugiyama fought back strongly to take the next two sets 6-2 6-3.
Croatian giant-killer Ivo Karlovic was at it again on Monday as he downed men's 13th seed Paradorn Srichaphan.
Last year Karlovic made the biggest headlines on day one by stunning Hewitt on Centre Court.
And this year he was too good for Thailand's Srichaphan.
It didn't look good for Karlovic when he dropped the opening set 6-3.
But after that he ground his opponent down, winning the next three sets 6-4 6-4 6-4.
New British number two Arvind Parmar made an early exit, losing in straight sets to Belgium's Gilles Elseneer.
Between the showers he went down 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3).
Compatriot Jamie Delgado was also beaten in straight sets - by Italy's Filippo Volandri.
Better news for Britain came with a first-round win for Emily Webley-Smith.
She came through 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 against Severine Beltrame of France.
Also in the late evening sunshine, former champion Lindsay Davenport breezed through to the second round.
Davenport, the winner in 1999 and seeded fifth this year, enjoyed a successful opening match against Madagascan Dally Randriantefy,
recording a comfortable 6-2 6-1 victory.
Two of the top men's seeds were battling for survival when play was halted at around 2100 BST.
Third seed Guillermo Coria had been forced into a final set by Wesley Moodie, while ninth seed Carlos Moya's clash with Olivier Patience was level at one-set all.
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