Wimbledon 97: Becker zips past Gorriz

It was the same old game plan, minus the tumbling volleys and precision placement, as Boris Becker exorcised his recent torment at Wimbledon to breeze into the second round yesterday.

Becker, a crowd favourite here since becoming the youngest player to lift the men's singles title at 17 years and seven months in 1984, relied on his powerful service game to brush past the Spanish baseliner, Marcos Aurilio Gorriz, 6-3 6-2 6-3. "I made sure I had a good start," Becker said.