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Five-time champion Roger Federer overcame an early hiccup to book a place in the second round at Wimbledon with a 7-5 6-3 6-2 win over Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun.

Swiss Federer, accorded the honour of opening proceedings on Centre Court in the absence of champion Rafael Nadal through injury, went an early break down against the only Asian player in the men's draw but soon made amends.

Federer, who sported a white military-style jacket for his latest fashion statement when he took to court, broke serve for a second time in the 12th game to take the opening set and won the next two to wrap up victory in an hour and 45 minutes.

The Swiss world number two will face Guillermo Garcia-Lopez for a place in round three, with the Spaniard emerging an easy 6-2 6-3 6-2 over Argentine Agustin Calleri.

Fourth seed Novak Djokovic reached the second round after a 6-7(8) 7-6(1) 6-2 6-4 win over Frenchman Julien Benneteau, who called on the trainer at match point down after a nasty fall.

The world number 81, facing his second match point against the Serb, sprinted back to try to reach a Djokovic lob but then skidded into the screen at the back of the court.

His racket flew out of his hands and he clutched his left knee in agony, with the trainer having to ice the injury for several minutes. Benneteau resumed to save match point before losing on the third and left Centre Court to a standing ovation.

Djokovic, the 2008 Australian Open champion, will face qualifier Simon Greul for a place in the third round, after the German beat American Michael Yani 6-4 6-2 7-5.

American James Blake became the first seeded casualty at Wimbledon when he lost 7-5 6-4 7-6(5) to Italy's Andreas Seppi .

Blake, the beaten finalist in the grass-court tune-up at Queen's Club last week, looked all at sea against Seppi's powerful strokes off both wings from the baseline and lost the first round match in 44 minutes.

Seppi, who has never got past the third round in his previous four visits to Wimbledon, showed superior movement again in the second set and needed just 35 minutes more to double his lead.

Blake, seeded 17, stormed to a 5-0 lead in the third set tiebreak but Seppi rattled off seven straight points to book his place in round two when he will play Frenchman Marc Gicquel, after he downed compatriot Adrian Mannarino 6-2 6-2 6-4.

Spain's seventh seed Fernando Verdasco booked his place in the second round with a 6-1 6-3 6-4 drubbing of British wildcard James Ward. Verdasco, a semi-finalist at the Australian Open in January, will next face Belgium's Kristof Vliegen, who beat Frenchman Nicholas Mahut 6-3 7-6(6) 5-7 5-7 6-4.

Swedish 13th seed Robin Soderling, who shocked world number one Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros just a few weeks ago, was forced to work hard to beat Luxembourg's Gilles Muller but eventually came through 6-7(4) 7-5 6-1 6-2.

Spain's Marcel Granollers awaits Soderling, having also battled through a four set, 6-2 6-4 6-7(4) 6-2, clash with Germany's Andreas Beck.

Another Spaniard, Nicholas Almagro, booked his place in the second round after a five set 6-7(3) 6-7(7) 7-6(5) 6-4 8-6 epic against Argentina's Juan Monaco. Almagro will next face lucky loser Karol Beck after the Slovak battled past Spanish 21st seed Feliciano Lopez 1-6 7-5 6-3 4-6 10-8.

French ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was made to overcome a minor blip to beat Kazakhstan's Andrey Golubev 6-3 5-7 7-6(4) 7-6(5) and will face Italy's Simone Bolleli, who beat Austrian Daniel Koellerer 6-7(3) 2-6 7-5 6-4 6-4.

Germany's 27th seed Philipp Kohlschrieber eased past Florent Serra 7-6(3) 6-1 6-4 to set up a second round meeting with Czech Ivo Minar, who beat Argentina's Maximo Gonzalez 6-4 3-6 7-5 6-0.

Spain's 15th seed Tommy Robredo and American Mardy Fish , seeded 28th, both progressed at the expense of Luka Gregorc and Sergio Roitman respectively.

Robredo will face Stefan Koubek in the next round, after the Austrian battled past Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-5 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-3, while Fish's next opponent will be Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic , who beat Czech Jan Hernych 6-4 6-4 7-6(4).

Russian 29th seed Igor Andreev beat compatriot Evgeny Korolev 4-6 7-6(2) 6-4 7-6(4) to set up a second round clash with Vince Spadea, after the American eased past Chile's Paul Capdeville 6-0 6-4 7-5.

Albert Montanes, seeded 32nd, continued a successful day for Spain when he reached the second round thanks to a straightforward 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over Slovenian qualifier Grega Zemlja, and will play Guillermo Canas in the second round after the Argentine beat compatriot Diego Junquiera 6-1 6-2 6-2.

German 18th seed Rainer Schuettler won the battle of the former semi-finalists by knocking out Belgium's Xavier Malisse 6-7(9) 6-4 7-6(3) 6-1, while 22nd seed Ivo Karlovic also progressed with a 6-3 7-6(4) 6-3 win over Slovakia's Lukas Lacko .

Schuettler will play Israel's Dudi Sela in the next round, after he beat Mexican qualifier Santiago Gonzalez 6-4 4-6 7-6(2) 6-3, while Karlovic will face Steve Darcis after the Belgian beat Canada's Frank Dancevic 6-4 7-6(4) 6-3.

Reuters