Former Wimbledon finalist Thomas Berdych is safely through to the third round with a straightforward victory over French serve and volleyer Nicolas Mahut. Berdych won by a score of 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 45 minutes.

Mahut, 33, was very disappointing in the first set. He couldn’t get a rhythm going and didn’t appear to be in the game mentally. He served very poorly, especially on his second serve - where he failed to win a single point. The Frenchman couldn’t handle Berdych’s groundstrokes and was always very hesitant to charge the net – which is his acclaimed specialty. The Czech number one hit 13 winners and broke Mahut’s serve twice on his way to winning the set 6-1.

The match continued in the same manner well into the second set.  But with Berdych up by 2 breaks of serve, Mahut finally showed some signs of life and played with the aggressive style he has been known for. He broke Berdych’s serve once but it wasn’t enough to stop Berdych from winning the set 6-4. Again, the Frenchman’s downfall was his poor serving, winning just one of eight points on his second serve.

Mahut, famous for playing in the longest match in tennis history, started the third set in the same way the second set ended – playing with a noticeably higher level of intensity. However, that did not last long, as he started hobbling and hinting that his right leg may be causing him some discomfort. Berdych, playing in second gear the entire match, never looked threatened. Mahut was once again dreadful on his second serve, winning just two points out of 14 – that’s three out of 29 overall. Berdych won the third set by the same scoreline as the second set, 6-4.

There was nothing special about the Czech’s game today. Mahut simply wasn’t up for the challenge mentally or physically. The performance was especially disappointing for the Frenchman, who usually saves his best for this tournament. One can assume that may have been the reason he was given a wildcard entry for Wimbledon this year.

Berdych, 29, will be glad he didn’t have to break a sweat today, as he gets ready to face Pablo Andujar of Spain in the third round. In his second round match, Andujar beat Lukas Rosol – another player from the Czech Republic – in five sets. This was the Spaniard’s second five-set match in as many outings.