Former champions Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka progressed to the second round of the 2020 US Open on Monday.
The world number one dispatched unheralded Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 under floodlights at an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
The Serbian superstar took just 23 minutes to win the first set before laboring to a narrow victory in an hour-long second set. There was no let up by Djokovic in the third set.
With Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer absent, Djokovic is looking to close the gap on them in the race for the all-time men’s singles Grand Slam record.
Djokovic currently has 17, behind Nadal on 19 and Federer on 20.
Elsewhere, fifth seed Alexander Zverev was made to work hard as he booked his place in the second round following a three-hour-long tussle with 2017 finalist Kevan Anderson.
The German, seeking his first Grand Slam title, took the first set on a tie-break 7-6 (7/2) before losing the second 7-5 in an eerily empty Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Ultimately, the 23-year-old proved too much for the South African veteran, winning the third set 6-3 and the fourth 7-5.
Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas eased into the second round of the Flushing Meadows tournament with a straight-sets win over Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
The Greek player needed just one hour and 38 minutes to dispose of the world number 41, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1.
The 22-year-old Tsitsipas, sixth on the ATP rankings, will play American wildcard Maxime Cressy after he defeated Slovakian Jozef Kovalik, ranked 123 in the world, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Britain’s Cameron Norrie enjoyed one of the day’s most impressive wins, charging back from two sets down to sink Argentine ninth seen Diego Schwartzman 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 7-5.
Twelfth seed Canadian Denis Shapovalov required four sets to overcome US wildcard Sebastian Korda.
The 21-year-old left-hander won the first set 6-4 before losing the second by the same score. But he rallied to win the next two 6-3, 6-2.
Frenchman Gilles Simon enjoyed a straightforward victory over Egypt’s Mohamed Safwat. The 35-year-old triumphed 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
Adrian Mannarino, also of France, defeated Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-1, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in a match that lasted two hours and 41 minutes.
Osaka clinches nervy win
Osaka was made to work hard during a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Japanese compatriot Misaki Doi.
Osaka, who withdrew from the Western & Southern Open WTA final on Saturday due to a hamstring injury, showed little sign of a fitness problem after wrapping up the first set in just over half an hour.
But the 22-year-old 2018 Open champion’s composure deserted her in the second set, as a string of unforced errors crept into her game and allowed Doi to seize the initiative.
Doi raced into leads of 3-0 and 4-1 but tightened when serving for the set at 5-3 — allowing Osaka to break back and get back on serve.
However the 29-year-old Doi regrouped to hold serve for a 6-5 lead and then punished a sloppy service game from Osaka to break once again and square the match.
Osaka raised her game noticeably in the third set, cutting down the errors and putting Doi under pressure on her service.
Two breaks helped Osaka into a 5-2 lead and she held serve to close out the win.
Karolina Pliskova led a day of dominance for seeded players as the underdogs failed to bite on the opening day of the Grand Slam.
Top seed shrugged breezed past Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina 6-4, 6-0 in 1hr 3min.
Pliskova’s brisk victory set the tone for the remainder of the opening day in the women’s draw, where 15 of the 16 seeds in action progressed safely.
World number three Pliskova, elevated to top seed in the absence of world number one Ashleigh Barty and second-ranked Simona Halep, faces France’s Caroline Garcia in the second round.
With the draw going largely to form, Coco Gauff’s hopes of launching another giant-killing run were halted in their tracks after a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 loss to Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova.
The 16-year-old from Florida delighted fans at Wimbledon last year by advancing to the fourth round as a qualifier but was unable to take her chances as slid to defeat against her 31st-seeded opponent.
Gauff said her development this year had been hampered by lack of tournament match practice following a season which was decimated by the coronavirus shutdown.
Elsewhere, sixth seed Petra Kvitova also advanced safely, downing Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu 6-3, 6-2.
The 30-year-old two-time Wimbledon champion, who has never gone beyond the quarter-finals in New York, said she was adjusting to the empty stands, as well as tournament regulations which prevent players from sightseeing in the city.
Germany’s 17th seed Angelique Kerber, the 2016 US Open champion, booked her second-round berth with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic.
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