AS the hottest day of the year so far drew to a close, the picture for British men's tennis began to look that little bit brighter.
Andy Murray and Liam Broady both won through to the second round of the singles on Day One, and they were joined on Day Two by Murray's Davis Cup team-mate James Ward and converted Slovenian Aljaz Bedene.
Kyle Edmund and Brydan Klein were unable to join that quartet in the last 64, but getting a total of five players - those four men and Heather Watson - over the first hurdle was the best achievement at Wimbledon in a decade. At a time when British tennis is still widely seen as Andy Murray and a host of also-rans, it is an indication that those players who regularly rub shoulders with the 2013 champion can learn useful lessons from him, even if actual emulation of his success remains no more than a pipe dream.
Ward, whose epic win over John Isner in Glasgow back in March was a vital component of Great Britain's overall victory in that Davis Cup tie, lost the first set on a tiebreak against Luca Vanni. But, again showing the strength of character which served him so well against the more highly-ranked Isner, he fought back to win the match 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 against the Italian, who was a late entrant in the tournament after David Ferrer withdrew because of injury on Sunday.
Bedene was similarly impressive in the end against Radek Stepanek, although the pattern of that contest was somewhat different as the veteran Czech fought back after losing the first set to take the next two. In the end, though, Bedene triumphed in his first Wimbledon outing since that switch of tennis nationalities, winning 7-5, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Edmund began strongly on Court 3 against Alexandr Dolgopolov, but once the Ukrainian No 1 took the first set on a tiebreak the Briton's challenge began to fade. Taking almost total control of the second and third sets, Dolgopolov ran out a 7-6 6-1, 6-2 winner. Australia-born Klein, who switched allegiance to Great Britain two years ago, also lost in straight sets, going down 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to Andreas Seppi, the No 25 seed from Italy who is a potential third-round opponent for Andy Murray.
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