BORNA CORIC and Thanasi Kokkinakis sealed wins before the rain hit on day one of The Boodles on Tuesday.

World number 42 Coric, 20, notched up his victory at The Boodles with a straight sets defeat of Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis.

The Next Gen star said: “This is my first match I won here. I lost both of the matches I played last year so I didn’t have a very good score, but this year I was playing very good.

“I was very happy with my tennis so it was perfect.”

The Croatian, who recently beat world number one Andy Murray in Madrid, continued: “I’m absolutely feeling good going into Wimbledon. I always feel like I need a couple more matches so I can start to play better, so this is what I needed.

Berankis, 21, the world number 194, was returning to The Boodles after playing at the event last year.

The Lithuanian said: “It’s very nice – good conditions to practice, good hotel and food, so everything is really good preparation (for Wimbledon).

“I like grass courts. My game is quite flat, so the speed and everything is good. Also I’m not the tallest guy, so for me the balls are usually bouncing in a good zone.

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PHOTO: Ricardas Berankis suffered defeat to Borna Coric on Tuesday.

“The club is really unbelievably nice, and there’s a great gym and good courts. You have a full day practicing here, so this makes it really easy for us.

“Everyone is relaxed, everything is really calm here, but at the same time the court is quite big, so it really reminds me of Wimbledon conditions. That’s what we’re looking for when preparing for the big tournament.”

Comeback kid Kokkinakis backed up his Queen’s Club upset of Milos Raonic last week with a maiden win at Stoke Park, taking down former world number six Giles Simon in straight sets.

The Aussie, currently ranked 478 as he returns from 18 months of injury, was pleased with his performance, sealing the win just as the rain began to fall.

“I felt really good,” he enthused. “Two years ago I cam here and loved it. I was a little bit sick the last time I played but I enjoyed the atmosphere. It’s a great place to find your feet a little bit before the grass courts at Wimbledon.”

He added: “It’s pretty easy-going. A lot of the hard work is done, you’ve played a lot of serious matches before. You kind of want to feel good, relax a little bit, and still keep your game going, so The Boodles is perfect for that.”

As for his Wimbledon goals, the 21-year-old is keeping his feet on the ground, saying: “Hopefully I get a decent draw, but again I had a good win last week over Raonic, so I know I can play good tennis.

“The trouble is maintaining my level. My good is good, by bad isn’t so great at the moment so I’m just trying to get better.”

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PHOTO: Giles Simon in action at The Boodles in Stoke Park on Tuesday.

Despite his loss, Simon remained in good spirits. He said: “Actually it was a nice match. Unfortunately I missed a tricky shot on break point to lose the first set, but the feeling was okay and I’m still preparing.”

Of the tournament he commented: “I played this event 10 years ago and It’s just getting better and better every year, so we can really practice long and full during the whole week.

“We have a nice atmosphere and a nice gym. We have everything to work and we can play the match also, so for me it’s the best preparation I can have.”

Despite a four-match losing streak prior to The Boodles, Simon said: “I will just try to go as far as I can (at Wimbledon), same as every time.

“It has been a bit difficult at the beginning of the grass court season with the back problem, so I will go there without any win on grass. That’s not ideal but I can practice one more time so I will be ready for the event.

“Sometimes you have an injury, sometimes you just have a bad run of tournaments. Other guys are playing good also but you have to go through it.

“I’m 32 and I’ve been a long time on tour so I know this feeling and I know you can survive it.”

Unfortunately Benoit Paire versus Denis Shapovalov and Jan-Lennard Struff against James Ward were cancelled due to rain.

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PHOTO: There were numerous selfie opportunities at The Boodles this week.

Grand Slam champion Juan Martin Del Potro headline the winners on an exciting second day of tennis at Stoke Park on Wednesday.

Returning to The Boodles for the second straight year, Del Potro - to be seeded 30th at Wimbledon - appeared to have shaken off the groin injury that saw him pull out of Queen’s Club action last week.

He and opponent Simon entertained a packed crowd with thrilling rallies and big serves.

“I feel fantastic,” the Argentine enthused after the match. “We were enjoying the game a lot, the atmosphere was really nice Everybody was waiting to see our match and we did great.”

Even in the relaxed setting of Stoke Park, the 2013 Wimbledon semi-finalist feels that The Boodles provides the opportunity for serious match play.

“It’s good preparation to see how the body feels and how the game is,” Del Potro reflected. “When you play seriously you can improve a little bit and that’s why I decided to play this event.”

Looking ahead to Wimbledon, the Argentine, who returned from multiple years of injury and repeated wrist surgeries last season, is keeping things in perspective.

He said: “Wimbledon is always a big challenge for me but I’m doing well this season.

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PHOTO: Thanasi Kokkinakis sealed a win before the rain came on Tuesday.

“I could do better but I had a tough draw in the last tournaments. I’ve been playing Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and these guys in the first rounds.

“I’m looking forward to playing my best tennis on grass because I like to play on this surface.

“If I’m okay and I feel strong enough, I can play a good tournament.”

Simon was playing his second match at Stoke Park this season.

“I'm enjoying the grass courts here,” the Frenchman said. “It’s really important to prepare for Wimbledon, and against Del Potro, this was the perfect match to prepare for it.”

Philipp Kohlschreiber gave a preview of his form going into Wimbledon during the defeat of Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in his first match of The Boodles this year.

The world number 57 held six match points over defending Wimbledon champion Murray earlier this season, and will be a danger for anyone in the main draw at SW19.

Kohlschreiber said: “Of course I have some players I don’t want to play in the first round but it’s a big draw.

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PHOTO: Tennis fans enjoy on the on-court action at The Boodles.

"I’ve struggled a little bit with my health this year, so it’s simple just to have the goal that I stay healthy for Wimbledon, and then I can give it my best shot.

“I know I can play very ugly on grass, even if I’m not the biggest server, but I move around very well, returning well. My variety in my game is my weapon.”

The German, a favourite at The Boodles, was happy to be back at Stoke Park.

He added: “It’s a great event, not even just as a build-up for Wimbledon.

"They do a fantastic job and involve the audience, they have a really good time. You can serve food or drinks on the court, and the atmosphere is just unique.

“Also for me as a player, I feel that it’s really welcoming, that we come here and makes it a lot of fun to play tennis.”

Ramos-Vinolas came close to victory and his happy with his preparations for Wimbledon.

“I lost but it was a good match,” the world number 22 assessed. “It was a good way to prepare for Wimbledon, we did good points.

“The Boodles is a good place to be. Very quiet. We can practice, we can play matches which is not at an ATP tournament but it’s quite similar. It’s good practice and it is close to Wimbledon, so it’s perfect.”

The final match on Wednesday saw success for another German, Struff, who defeated Benoit Paire in a fun filled match.

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