Reigning champion Novak Djokovic overcame an injury scare, and long-time rival Rafael Nadal shone in the heat on the opening day of the US Open.
World No 1 Djokovic, also the 2011 winner in New York and chasing his third major of the year, defeated Jerzy Janowicz of Poland 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.
Nadal, the 2010 and 2013 champion and seeded to face Djokovic in the semi-finals, eased to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan.
In the women’s event, second seeded Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open champion, needed just 33 minutes to progress but Roland Garros winner Garbine Muguruza required three sets and a visit from the doctor before she survived.
Djokovic, 29, had said he was “not 100 per cent” after suffering a wrist injury on the eve of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games where he was a first-round loser.
More from the US Open:
• Order of play: Day 2's running order in UAE time
• Five men to watch: Can anyone break the Big Four to win the title?
• Five women to watch: The players who could break Serena Williams
But it was the upper right arm that bothered the Serb on Monday night as he played his first grand slam match since his shock third round exit at Wimbledon.
Djokovic needed treatment after just five games of the first set but eventually pulled through against Janowicz, who had played just two matches all year due to a knee injury.
Djokovic next faces Jiri Vesely, the Czech who knocked him out of Monte Carlo this year.
Nadal’s reward for a fifth win in five meetings with Istomin is a match-up with Italian veteran Andreas Seppi.
A wrist injury forced the Spaniard into an early retirement at the French Open and sidelined him from Wimbledon before a gold medal run in the doubles at the Olympics helped ease his misery.
“The most important thing is that I am here in New York. Injuries are part of the career. I had a hard time this year,” Nadal, 30, said.
Canadian fifth seed Milos Raonic, the runner-up to Andy Murray at Wimbledon, overcame German Dustin Brown 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.
Kerber, 28, needed just over 30 minutes to get her pursuit of a first US Open title off to a winning start.
The German world No 2 was leading Polona Hercog 6-0, 1-0 when the Slovenian called it quits having won just nine points.
Kerber, a semi-finalist in 2011, next faces Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia.
Muguruza carved out a gritty 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 win over Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens, ranked at 137.
But the French Open champion needed courtside treatment from a doctor after dropping the first set.
The consultation certainly worked as she reeled off the next seven games to lay the foundation for her win.
Muguruza plays Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia for a place in the last 32.
French 13th seed Richard Gasquet, a semi-finalist three years ago, was the day’s biggest casualty.
He went down to 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to British world No 84 Kyle Edmund.
MONDAY’S RESULTS AT THE 2016 US OPEN
MEN’S FIRST ROUND
• Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) d Jerzy Janowicz (POL) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
• Jiri Vesely (CZE) d Saketh Myneni (IND) 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5
• Guido Pella (ARG) d Bjorn Fratangelo (USA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
• Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) d Martin Klizan (SVK x28) 6-2, 6-1, 6-1
• John Isner (USA) d Francis Tiafoe (USA) 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 7-6 (7/3)
• Steve Darcis (BEL) d Jordan Thompson (AUS) 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5, 7-5
• Ernesto Escobedo (USA) d Lukas Lacko (SVK) 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, retired
• Kyle Edmund (GBR) d Richard Gasquet (FRA x13) 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
• James Duckworth (AUS) d Robin Haase (NED) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
• Vasek Pospisil (CAN) d Jozef Kovalík (SVK) 6-1, 6-3, 6-3
• Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x9) d Guido Andreozzi (ARG) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
• Kevin Anderson (RSA x23) d Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 6-3, 7-5, 6-4
• Jack Sock (USA x26) d Taylor Fritz (USA) 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 3-6, 1-6, 6-4
• Mischa Zverev (GER) d Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 6-0
• Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) d Gastao Elias (POR) 6-1, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)
• Marin Cilic (CRO x7) d Rogério Dutra Silva (BRA) 6-4, 7-5, 6-1
• Rafael Nadal (ESP x4) d Denis Istomin (UZB) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
• Andreas Seppi (ITA) d Stéphane Robert (FRA) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
• Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) d Thomaz Belluci (BRA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6)
• Albert Ramos (ESP x31) d Julien Benneteau (FRA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
• Lucas Pouille (FRA x24) d Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
• Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) d Guilherme Clezar (BRA) 2-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-2, 6-4
• Federico Del Bonis (ARG) d Brian Baker (USA) 3-6, 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
• Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x15) d Guillermo García-López (ESP) 7-5, 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/3)
• Gael Monfils (FRA x10) d Gilles Muller (LUX) 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5)
• Jan Satral (CZE) d Mackenzie McDonald (USA) 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
• Nicolas Almagro (ESP) d Marton Fucsovics (HUN) 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (9/7)
• Pablo Cuevas (URU x18) d Dudi Sela (ISR) 6-3, 6-2, 0-6, 5-7, 6-3
• Benoît Paire (FRA x32) d Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 6-2, 2-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
• Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) d Facundo Bagnis (ARG) 6-4, 6-2, 1-1 retired
• Ryan Harrison (USA) d Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3
• Milos Raonic (CAN x5) d Dustin Brown (GER) 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
WOMEN’S FIRST ROUND
• Madison Keys (USA x8) d Alison Riske (USA) 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2
• Kayla Day (USA) d Madison Brengle (USA) 6-2, 4-2 retired
• Duan Ying-Ying (CHN) d Maria Sakkari (GRE) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
• Naomi Osaka (JPN) d CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-4
• Monica Niculescu (ROM) d Barbora Záhlavová Strýcová (CZE x18) 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 6-1
• Ana Bogdan (ROM) d Sorana Cirstea (ROM) 0-6, 7-5, 6-2
• Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d Taylor Townsend (USA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
• Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x9) d Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 6-1, 6-2
• Johanna Konta (GBR x13) d Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 6-3, 6-3
• Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) d Virginie Razzano (FRA) 6-1, 6-2
• Andrea Petkovic (GER) d Kristina Kucova (SVK) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3
• Belinda Bencic (SUI x24) d Samantha Crawford (USA) 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-4
• Zheng Saisai (CHN) d Mónica Puig (PUR) 6-4, 6-2
• Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) d Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) 6-0, 7-5
• Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) d Anna Karolína Schmiedlová (SVK) 6-3, 6-3
• Garbine Muguruza (ESP x3) d Elise Mertens (BEL) 2-6, 6-0, 6-3
• Roberta Vinci (ITA x7) d Anna-Lena Friedsam (GER) 6-2, 6-4
• Christina McHale (USA) d Mona Barthel (GER) 6-2, 6-2
• Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) d Sabine Lisicki (GER) 6-1, 6-2
• Carina Witthoeft (GER) d Misaki Doi (JPN x30) 6-4, 6-1
• Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) d Irina Begu (ROM x21) 6-0, 6-4
• Wang Yafan (CHN) d Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)
• Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) d Danielle Collins (USA) 6-1, 6-2
• Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x12) d Magda Linette (POL) 6-2, 6-3
• Petra Kvitova (CZE x14) d Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 7-5, 6-3
• Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR) d Irina Falconi (USA) 6-2, 6-1
• Lauren Davis (USA) d Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
• Elina Svitolina (UKR x22) d Mandy Minella (LUX) 6-7 (5/7), 6-0, 6-2
• Shelby Rogers (USA) d Sara Errani (ITA x27) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)
• Catherine Bellis (USA) d Viktorija Golubic (SUI) 6-2, 6-3
• Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) d Alize Cornet (FRA) 6-4, 6-1
• Angelique Kerber (GER x2) d Polona Hercog (SLO) 6-0, 1-0 retired
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
