Olympic Tennis 2012 Results: Day 1 Scores, Recap & More

The opening day of the tennis competition at the 2012 London Olympics provided a chance for the world to see some of the sport's top athletes compete.

The first round of matches featured a few twists and turns, but the big names mostly did exactly what they should do. 

A few of the most high-profile athletes in London returned to Wimbledon in order to compete for a gold medal.

Here are scores and recaps for the top matches from today. All scores and schedules can be found at London2012.com.

Men's Singles

Roger Federer defeats Alejandro Falla—6-3, 5-7, 6-3

After regaining the world’s top ranking following his victory at Wimbledon, Federer returned to the legendary grass courts and looked just as sharp as when he had left them.

He took the first set, then faltered, allowing Falla to win and tie the match before finishing off the match with another victory.

Falla is ranked 51st, so he provided nothing more than a warm-up match for Federer. 

The 30-year-old Swiss is playing his best tennis in years, and he will be the player to beat going forward in the tournament.

John Isner defeats Olivier Rochus—7-6, 6-4 

Isner’s match against his unheralded opponent went according to plan, and there were no marathon matches in the opening round for the American.

Wimbledon was the site of his 2010 meeting with Nicolas Mahut, which was the longest tennis match in history.

Isner is the 10th-ranked player and Americans' best chance to earn a medal in the men’s competition. So far, he is still on track.

The matches will get tougher from here on out, so Isner did well to finish Rochus quickly and to save his energy for the later rounds.

Steve Darcis defeats Tomas Berdych—6-4, 6-4 

In the biggest upset of the day, the 75th-ranked Darcis beat Berdych, ranked 7th in the world. 

This is the second consecutive poor performance for Berdych on the grass in London, after losing to Ernest Gulbis in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships earlier this summer.

At the very least, Berdych will be happy to get away from the courts that have caused him so many problems recently.

Women’s Matches

Serena Williams defeats Jelena Jankovic—6-3, 6-1

Williams’ first-round opponent was not a walkover, but that does not mean that she did not blow Jankovic, the world’s 20th-ranked player. 

Williams continued her dominance at Wimbledon with a fantastic performance in her opening match. 

She is still brimming with confidence after winning England’s most prestigious tournament earlier this summer. 

Given her excellent form, she may be in for her first-ever medal in the singles tournament.

Carla Suarez Navarro defeats Samantha Stosur—3-6, 7-5, 10-8

Stosur came to London as the fifth-ranked player in the word, and started her match against 45th-ranked Carla Suarez Navarro as planned, taking the first set.

But then the scrappy Spaniard edged out the Aussie in the second set and made the match interesting.

The third and final stanza was an epic affair, but Navarro held on for the upset.

The women’s brackets are often more unpredictable than the men, and this held true today.

Daniela Hantuchova defeats Li Na—6-2, 3-6, 6-3

This may not be a monumental upset, but it certainly was a surprising result. Na came in as the 11th-ranked player in the world, and Hantuchova checked in at No. 33.

The match went back and forth, but Hantuchova ran away with the decisive third set.

Na is another player whose struggles at Wimbledon continued after she lost in the second round of the tournament in London earlier this year. 

The grass has been kind to some and cruel to others. That trend will continue as the tournament progresses.