Amelie is left in the shade

Amelie Mauresmo could have been forgiven for feeling like a ten-a-penny warm-up act yesterday in the theatre at the end of the pier. Warm the audience up, get them in the mood but don't outstay your welcome.

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Tim Henman needs his court after you. It was hardly the way to treat the belle of last year's Wimbledon Ball. But, if those were indeed her instructions, Amelie played her role to perfection.

A wave to the crowd, a beaming smile as she stepped back on to the turf on which she outlasted Justine Henin 12 months ago to win her maiden Wimbledon title and it was on with the task of trying to defend her crown.

Dazzling in her ingenuity, poetic in the flow of her racket, Mauresmo moved effortlessly past America's Jamea Jackson — 6-1, 6-3 in 63 minutes. It might have been much swifter, too.

Having fended off a break point in the opening game, the Frenchwoman led 5-0 after 17 minutes, but that was inflicting too much pain on an opponent who is still making her way back from hip surgery.

It is only 13 months since Jackson defeated Maria Sharapova on grass in Birmingham and seven since she reached No 45 in the world.

Mauresmo knew that, but she also knew Jackson had lost both her comeback matches on the women's tour.

In short, the 20-year-old daughter of a former NFL cornerback was the perfect fodder for the defending champion, who admitted her emotions had run amok in the days leading up to her return.

Mauresmo said: "There were no special emotions when I walked on court, although the walk from the locker room to Centre Court is always a great joy. But I was nervous beforehand.

"It was not the same as a normal tournament for me. I was nervous because I couldn't wait to play for the last couple of days. I'm enjoying being defending champion. It's maybe a little extra tension before you walk on the court, but then during the match it really feels good."

Unlike Roger Federer, whose stepping-out parade on Monday was his fourth as defending champion, for Amelie the new roofless Centre Court made her wonder whether this was the same place at all.

She added: "You feel like you are somewhere else in the world. The court is not as intimate as it used to be.

"I would like it to be next year already with the roof on again."

At least it was not Paris. The burden of expectation presses down so heavily on Mauresmo at Roland Garros that year after year it crushes her and leaves her French Open dreams in tatters on the red clay.

At the other three Grand Slams she soars by comparison.

There was certainly a lightness to her play as she trotted out every shot she possesses against the practice wall that Jackson represented.

For 17 minutes, the practice wall had holes in it. In football parlance, Jackson looked desperately short of match practice. Short on anticipation, short on reaction, too.

Thankfully, seven minutes of toil earned her a first game, even if Mauresmo duly wrapped up the set on her own serve moments later. The storm clouds were gathering, the darkness moving in. So much for the strawberries and suncream of the no-roof Wimbledon.

This was more like the ambience of Henman-Moya 17 hours earlier, and thoughts turned to the delights to come.

Amelie was still showing off her delicacy of touch and the sweet timing and artistry that makes her, with Henin, the perfect antidote to the diet of baseliners who populate women's tennis.

She won a Hawk-Eye challenge. On that score at least Jackson could trump her, having been the first player ever to use the electronic system, in Miami 15 months ago.

There were hints of the American's ability in the second set. Frequently she ran Mauresmo into places on the court that the champion would rather not have visited, but often — far too often on overheads — the clinching shot was errant.

Her fightback from 0-40 behind at 2-3 in the second set to hold her serve was heroic but the Centre Court crowd could quite happily have watched her slip quietly away by then.

To the relief of the congregation, she obliged, dropping a final forehand into the net.

It was Tim time. Amelie had had her moment. She hopes she will have six more before the fortnight is out.