Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz were among the notable victors on day two of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, where adverse weather once again caused significant disruption.
Following a spate of delays and suspensions during Monday's action, only nine matches were completed on day two, with play on the outside courts quickly halted as the heavens opened.
However, one of those nine contests to go the distance was Murray's battle of the Brits with Ryan Peniston, where the three-time Grand Slam winner produced an exemplary performance in the presence of Roger Federer and the Princess of Wales.
Murray had never lost in the first round of Wimbledon before Tuesday, and the world number 40 took just over two hours to march to an emphatic 6-3 6-0 6-1 victory on Centre Court.
Murray saved both of the break points he faced and remarkably went 17 for 17 at the net, as Peniston was outfought and outclassed by his more senior compatriot, who will face either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Dominic Thiem - whose match was one of several to be suspended - in round two.
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As well as the former British number one, current British number one Cameron Norrie also booked his spot in round two by seeing off the Czech Republic's Tomas Machac 6-3 4-6 6-1 6-4.
The 2022 semi-finalist overcame a tricky second set and also faced a 2-0 deficit in the fourth as Machac tried to take the match to the distance, but Norrie fought back to punch his ticket to the second phase.
However, Dan Evans was on the wrong end of a four-set thriller against Frenchman Quentin Halys later in the evening, as the duo resumed play after fading light forced the suspension of their match on Monday.
Halys held a two-set lead by the time the match was stopped, but the break initially revitalised Evans, who edged a tense third set via a tie-breaker in front of the raucous home crowd.
Evans's joy was short-lived, though, as he handed Halys a match point with a double fault and could not get to the Frenchman's next return, bowing out 2-6 3-6 7-6[5] 4-6.
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Meanwhile, George Loffhagen lost a first-set tie-breaker to Holger Rune before their match was called off, while Katie Boulter was facing a 5-6 deficit against Daria Saville prior to their suspension.
Elsewhere, women's champion Elena Rybakina recovered from an error-strewn start and a previous illness to defeat Shelby Rogers 4-6 6-1 6-2, citing Federer's presence as an explanation for her early nerves.
Men's top seed Alcaraz also staved off a late fightback from French veteran Jeremy Chardy to prevail 6-0 6-2 7-5, coming back from a break down in the third set to get the job done.
Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka also triumphed in straight sets, with the former defeating Magdalena Frech 6-3 6-3 while Sabalenka saw off Panna Udvardy 6-3 6-1.
Finally, Tomas Etcheverry and Bernabe Zapata Miralles closed out day two's action with a five-set spectacular, and the former came from two sets down to win 6-7[5] 5-7 6-3 6-4 7-5 and set up a second-round tie with Stan Wawrinka, with the victor of that clash potentially facing Novak Djokovic in the last 32.
Ben Knapton
