Wimbledon: Muguruza, Bencic and Ferrer join casualty list

London - Mahut, Raonic march on; Venus rallies from brink

Garbine Muguruza, the second seed and French Open champion, was knocked out of Wimbledon in the second round on Thursday, losing 6-3, 6-2 to Slovak qualifier Jana Cepelova.
Spanish 22-year-old Muguruza, the runner-up to Serena Williams at the All England Club last year, sank to defeat against the world number 124 in just 59 minutes.
Cepelova, who knocked out Simona Halep when the Romanian was ranked three at last year's Wimbledon also on Court One, faces Czech 28th seed Lucie Safarova for a place in the last 16.
Muguruza was bidding to become only the eighth woman to win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back.
Swiss seventh seed Belinda Bencic joined Muguruza in the casualty list when she retired from her second round match against American qualifier Julia Boserup.
Bencic was 6-4, 1-0 down on Court Three to the world number 225 who is making her Grand Slam debut.
Boserup, 24, goes on to face either Andrea Petkovic of Germany or Russia's Elena Vesnina
Meanwhile David Ferrer became the highest-ranked casualty in the men's singles so far when French serve and volleyer Nicolas Mahut overpowered him 6-1 6-4 6-3.
The 13th-seeded Spaniard has suffered a drop in form this year, and never looked capable of turning things around against his fellow 34-year-old.
Mahut, part of Wimbledon folklore after losing to American John Isner in the longest match in tennis history in 2010 - an 11 hour five minute epic - will play fellow Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in round three.
Milos Raonic equalled the fastest serve seen at Wimbledon this year as the Canadian sixth seed blasted past Italian Andreas Seppi 7-6(5) 6-4 6-2 to reach the third round.
Raonic, under the watchful gaze of three-times champion John McEnroe during the grasscourt season, tripped the speed gun at 142mph, equalling the delivery served down by Australian Sam Groth in round one. The fastest serve ever recorded at the All England Club was hit at 148mph by American Taylor Dent six years ago.
Japan's Kei Nishikori came from behind to down France's Julien Benneteau to book his place in the Wimbledon third round.
Nishikori, the world number six, won 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 on Centre Court in two hours and 36 minutes.
The 2014 US Open finalist looked briefly troubled when he lost the first set but turned it around.
"I started playing more aggressive and more solid," the 26-year-old said.
"It wasn't an easy match. He started well so it was a great match for me."
Meanwhile in the women's singles, Venus Williams ignored her exile to Wimbledon's unglamourous Court 18 as the five-time champion defeated Greek qualifier Maria Sakkari 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.?- Agencies for a place in the last 16.