Federer eases past Clarke

London: Eight-time men's champion Roger Federer moved into the third round at Wimbledon. Defending women's champion Angelique Kerber went out in the second.

Federer advanced as expected on Thursday, beating wild-card entry Jay Clarke 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2 on No. 1 Court. But unseeded American Lauren Davis pulled off the unexpected, defeating Kerber 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 on No. 2 Court.

"I told myself you're strong, you can do it, you belong here," said Davis, who only entered the tournament as a lucky loser.

Kerber beat Serena Williams in last year's final. Federer won his eighth title at the All England Club in 2017 and was eliminated in the quarterfinals last year.

Despite his pedigree at Wimbledon, Federer played his British opponent on the second biggest court on the grounds instead of his usual spot on Centre Court.

"I really enjoyed myself on Court 1 today with the roof," Federer said. "I couldn't really tell if it was Centre Court or Court 1, actually."

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, No. 9 Sloane Stephens and No. 15 Wang Qiang also advanced to third round. Kvitova beat Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 6-2, Stephens defeated Wang Yafan 6-0, 6-2, and Wang ousted Tamara Zidansek 6-1, 6-2.

Sam Querrey, a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2017, reached the third round in the men's draw. The unseeded American defeated Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. Later, all eyes will be on the marquee matchup between Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios. It is a rematch from 2014, when a 19-year-old Kyrgios upset then-No. 1 Nadal at the All England Club.

Andy Murray will make his debut at this year's tournament, playing men's doubles with Pierre-Hugues Herbert against Marius Copil and Ugo Humbert.