Seventh seed Gauff was knocked out in the first round by compatriot Kenin, who has slipped down the rankings after winning the Australian Open in 2020.

Kenin, whose coaching career has been hindered by injuries and instability, said she was “super proud.”

Number one seed Iga Swiatek set the tone with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Zhu Lin.

Swiatek dominated the entire match against the Chinese world number 34, one of the highest-ranked players she might have played.

Swiatek, 22, of Poland, is regarded one of the favorites for the women’s title but has never advanced past the fourth round on grass in SW19.

However, the French and US Open champion started her hunt for another major on a different surface in style.

Swiatek stated her desire to become an all-court player in the run-up to Wimbledon, and she believes she is now better equipped to compete at the All England Club than in past years.

“Last year was a little more difficult because I felt rusty mentally, in terms of tennis focus, because I didn’t play any matches on grass,” Swiatek, who won the junior crown at Wimbledon in 2018, explained.

“I think this year is going to be much more comfortable for me.”

The evidence from her first bout clearly suggested as much.

Swiatek has been spending time on the difficult grass surface since winning her fourth major title on the Roland Garros clay last month, reaching the semi-finals of a warm-up tournament in Germany last week.

Swiatek withdrew from her last-four match on Friday due to illness, but she showed no ill affects as she started well against Zhu.

Swiatek moved a double break up at 5-0 after fighting off a break point in the first game and, after Zhu eventually got on the board after 31 minutes to a thunderous applause, claimed the opener with her third set point.

The second set proved more difficult for the world number one. The two swapped breaks for 2-2, but Swiatek broke again for 3-2 just before the rain forced them off the court.

Swiatek promptly wrapped up victory when they returned, breaking again in the ninth game and ending with another beautiful winner.