Defending champion Djokovic cruises into Wimbledon third round despite sweltering heat at All England Club

Serbia's Novak Djokovic was among the top seeds who earned easy progression to the third round ©Getty Images

Serbia's Novak Djokovic cruised into the third round of Wimbledon with a straightforward straight sets victory of Finland's Jarkko Nieminen as temperatures soared at the All England Club.

The defending champion was forced to combat temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius on the third day of competition at the Championships, in addition to his Finnish opponent.

The world number one was surprised in the opening stages of his match as Nieminen, who had ended Australian Lleyton Hewitt's campaign in a five-set epic in the first round, produced a blistering start to the match to break Djokovic in his opening service game.

Nieminen, who is retiring at the end of the season, was unable to sustain that level throughout the course of the match, however, as Djokovic gained control and ultimately ran out as a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 victor.

Djokovic did not suffer in the Wimbledon heat but his opponent in the third round, Australia's Bernard Tomic, admitted to feeling dizzy on his way to a 7-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

For the third consecutive day the men's draw saw little in the way of shocks, as only the men's fifth seed, Japan's Kei Nishikori, departed the competition at the second round stage of the major contenders, having succumbed to a calf injury rather than by being defeated on court.

The closest contest involving one of the top seeds saw the US Open champion Marin Cilic overcome Lithuania's Ričardas Berankis 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-5.

There was success in straight sets for the recently crowned French Open champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland and Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov after they beat the Dominican Republic's Víctor Estrella Burgos and America's Steve Johnson in their respective matches.

Serbia's Ana Ivanovic was one of the few top seeds to bow out on day three of Wimbledon ©AFP/Getty Images

The women's draw also relatively few major shocks, with Serbian Ana Ivanovic the most surprising departure as the seventh seed fell to a 6-3, 6-4, defeat to the United States Bethanie Mattek-Sands in her second round match.

Russia's Maria Sharapova was one of the top seeds to claim an easy victory as she defeated The Netherlands' Richèl Hogenkamp 6-3, 6-1, while her great rival and number one seed Serena Williams of the US secured a 6-4, 6-1 win over Hungary's Tímea Babos.

Williams is now set to face home favourite Heather Watson on Friday (July 3) after the British number one moved into the third round with a 6-4, 6-2, triumph over Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchová.