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Ash Barty pushed No.4 seed Elina Svitolina all the way in the first round at Wimbledon but despite saving five match points, she couldn't win the most important points.

London, UK, 4 July 2017 | Matt Trollope

Ash Barty fought for nearly two hours before going down in the first round of Wimbledon to fourth seed Elina Svitolina.

Barty served for the first set and saved five match points in the second but ultimately couldn’t stop the Ukrainian running out a 7-5 7-6(8) winner.

This match had been pegged as a potential upset in the women’s draw; Svitolina came in under an injury cloud – having struggled with a heel injury in an early loss in Birmingham – on her least-preferred surface.

Hampered by a hip injury, Nick Kyrgios was forced to retire from his first-round Wimbledon match when trailing Pierre-Hugues Herbert by two sets to love.

London, UK, 3 July 2017 | Matt Trollope

Injury has cruelled Nick Kyrgios’s 2017 campaign, forcing the Aussie to retire from his first-round match on Monday.

The No.20 seed was trailing Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-3 6-4 when he called for the trainer to examine his troublesome hip.

After a short consultation and some perfunctory treatment, he made the decision he couldn’t continue.

Alicia Molik, Todd Woodbridge and Nicole Pratt spoke with tennis.com.au ahead of Wimbledon about Nick Kyrgios and Ash Barty, perhaps our two most natural grasscourt talents.

London, UK, 3 July 2017 | Matt Trollope

When Nick Kyrgios and Ash Barty play back-to-back on No.3 Court on Monday at Wimbledon, Aussie tennis fans are seeing arguably the nation’s two most promising grasscourt talents in action.

Six years ago at the All England Club, a 15-year-old Barty stormed to the girls’ singles title and in 2013 reached the women’s doubles final with Casey Dellacqua. That same year, Kyrgios hoisted the boys’ doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis – having done so with Andrew Harris at the same event 12 months earlier – and in 2014 announced himself as a superstar with a stunning Centre Court defeat of world No.1 Rafael Nadal en route to the men’s singles quarterfinals.

At 22 and 21 respectively, Kyrgios and Barty are among the world’s brightest young talents and stand to make an impact at Wimbledon, where the grass rewards their weapons and style and boosts their confidence.

Former Wimbledon finalist Mark Philippoussis has come on as a consultant coach for Thanasi Kokkinakis - and he's imploring the young South Australian to be more aggressive on grass.

London, UK, 3 July 2017 | Darren Walton (AAP)

Thanasi Kokkinakis has turned to Mark Philippoussis for added inspiration and grasscourt intellect in his concerted attempt to make a Wimbledon impact.

Australia’s one-time teenage prodigy returns to the All England Club – where he won the junior doubles crown in 2013 with Nick Kyrgios – as the world No.498 after a depressing near-two-year battle with injury.

But after taking down Milos Raonic, last year’s runner-up and world No.6 at the Queen’s Club lead-up event, Kokkinakis has suddenly re-emerged as a dangerous young talent to avoid, ahead of his first-round blockbuster with Juan Martin del Potro on Tuesday.

After Grand Slam disappointments away from Melbourne Park, Daria Gavrilova is refusing to look beyond her first-round match at Wimbledon.

London, UK, 4 July 2017 | AAP

Having learnt the hard way not to set lofty Grand Slam goals, Daria Gavrilova has modest hopes for Wimbledon.

Left shattered after suffering a first-round French Open exit last month, Australia’s new No.1 says winning one match on London’s hallowed lawns will be a pass mark.

The 23-year-old is up against dangerous Croatian qualifier Petra Martic on Tuesday and is refusing to take comfort in her first-time seeding at the All England Club.

Bernard Tomic will look to win for the second time win a week over Mischa Zverev when he takes on the 27th seed in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday.

London, UK, 4 July 2017 | AAP

At his best, Bernard Tomic considers himself one of Wimbledon’s top 10 contenders and knows he has the grasscourt game to prosper on The All England Club lawns.

But he also knows he must immediately find his A-game to survive a testing first-round encounter with wily 27th seed Mischa Zverev on Tuesday.

“My opinion, he’s top 10, top 15 player on grass: streaky, he plays the right game to play on this surface, he’s playing the best in his career, made the quarters of the Australian Open, beat Murray,” Tomic said.

Thanasi Kokkinakis - one of five Aussies taking to the courts at Wimbledon on Tuesday - will face Juan Martin del Potro in a first-round blockbuster.

London, UK, 4 July 2017 | tennis.com.au

MEN’S SINGLES – FIRST ROUND

[29] Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) v Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)
No.2 Court, first match

Thanasi Kokkinakis has had a well-documented struggle with injuries in recent years and if any of his fellow players could relate, it would be the 198-centimetre Argentinean who he faces at Wimbledon tonight.

Both have lost years out of their careers – and are keen to make up for lost opportunities with a strong showing at the All England Club. It is one of many similarities between the powerful big-hitting players, who both like to use their forehands to dictate play.

John Millman was no match for a rampaging Rafael Nadal on Monday at Wimbledon while qualifier Andrew Whittington's fairytale run came to an end.

London, UK, 4 July 2017 | AAP

Australian John Millman has played a bit-part role in Rafael Nadal’s rampant return to Wimbledon.

After missing last year’s edition with a career-threatening wrist injury, Nadal brutally brushed aside Millman 6-1 6-3 6-2 on Monday to swiftly showcase his credentials for a third crown at The All England Club.

Earlier on Monday, qualifier Andrew Whittington went down in four sets to Brazilian Thiago Monteiro.