WIMBLEDON Navratilova breezes to easy victory

Rain interrupted today's opening day matches.
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Just like old times.
Nine-time champion Martina Navratilova returned to Wimbledon for her first singles match in 10 years today -- and looked as if she's never been away.
Serving and volleying in classic grass-court style, the 47-year-old Navratilova crushed Colombia's Catalina Castano 6-0, 6-1 in 46 minutes in a rain-interrupted early match on the opening day of the 118th edition of the Grand Slam tournament.
It was a big turnaround from Navratilova's singles appearance last month at the French Open, where she lost in straight sets in the first round to Gisela Dulko.
"You can only play as well as your opponent," Navratilova said. "She didn't push me until the end. I didn't do anything spectacular. I have an advantage because I know how to play on grass."
Men
If Navratilova represents the old breed of women's tennis, Roger Federer is the new breed of the men's game -- and he, too, got off to an easy start.
The top-seeded Swiss player opened defense of his men's title with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 win over 290th-ranked British wild card Alex Bogdanovic on Centre Court.
Coming off a victory in a tuneup tournament in Germany, Federer won his 18th straight match on grass -- the longest streak since Pete Sampras won 23 in a row from Wimbledon in 1998 to Queen's in 2000.
Riding his big forehand and serve-and-volley game, Federer was in control throughout and won the last eight games.
Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion who is seeded No. 7, also advanced in straight sets, beating Jurgen Melzer of Austria 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
Granted a wild card entry last week, Navratilova was back in her element on her favorite grass surface at the club where she made her debut 31 years ago. Winner of six straight titles from 1982-87, she hadn't played singles at Wimbledon since losing in the 1994 final to Conchita Martinez.
Unusual style
After receiving a warm ovation from the crowd on Court 2, known as the "graveyard of champions," Navratilova took charge immediately.
She played a style rarely seen in tennis these days: She served and volleyed from the first point, she chipped and charged on the returns, she hit for angles rather than power.
Castano, ranked No. 102 and playing only her second match at the All England Club, looked tight facing a Wimbledon legend and put up little resistance until late in the match.
Navratilova was up 5-0 after just 16 minutes when the match was stopped by rain. Further rain was forecast for later in the day as well as during much of the first week.
After a 40-minute break, Navratilova picked up where she left off, breaking for the first set and racing to a 5-0 lead in the second. Castano finally picked up her game, breaking for 5-1 and forcing a break point in the next game. It took Navratilova five match points before she finally closed out the contest.
Navratilova flashed a big smile and lifted her racket in the air as she sat on her chair, then stood up and applauded the crowd. She held up a clenched fist as she left the court.
Goran Ivanisevic, who won the title as a wild card in 2001 but missed the last two Wimbledons due to injuries, finally got the chance to return to Centre Court. Playing in his last tournament before retirement, he was paired against 31st-seeded Mikhail Youzhny of Russia,
On the women's side, former two-time champion Venus Williams was due to face Marie-Gayanay Mikaelian of Switzerland, ranked No. 106. Venus' sister, two-time defending champion Serena, begins Tuesday against China's Zheng Jie.
It's been a year since Serena won a Grand Slam title. She could become only the third woman in the past 35 years to win three consecutive Wimbledon championships.