Wimbledon champions Andy Murray and Serena Williams powered into the second round of the US Open as the stars came out on Arthur Ashe Stadium court on Tuesday night.
Williams, launching her latest bid to rewrite the record books, started strong and didn’t let up in 6-3, 6-3 victory over 29th-ranked Ekaterina Makarova.
The US world No 1 appeared untroubled by the balky right shoulder that has hindered her in recent weeks, delivering 12 aces and 27 winners overall in the 63-minute contest.
“I knew today I needed to be focused because I’ve played her. She’s got to the semi-finals. She goes deep in majors,” Williams said of the Russian left-hander who beat her in the fourth round of the 2012 Australian Open.
“She knows how to play big matches on big courts. She’s not intimidated. I knew I had to really come out today. It was my only option really.”
More from the US Open:
• Day 3 order of play: Djokovic and Nadal back in action
• Players to watch: Men | Women | Teenagers
• Predictions: The winners, losers and surprise performers
Williams, 34, said she wouldn’t know until she’d slept on it how her shoulder might respond to the effort.
“Every day, I’ll just see how it goes,” said Williams, who is chasing a record seventh title on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows where she first triumphed in 1999.
A victory would see her break the Open Era record of 22 grand slam titles she now shares with Steffi Graf and close in on Margaret Court’s all-time mark of 24 major titles.
While Williams has struggled since Wimbledon, Murray went from claiming a second title at the All England club to a successful defence of his Olympic gold in Rio.
Vying to become the fourth man in the Open Era to reach all four major finals in a calendar year, Murray produced a dominant serving performance in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Czech Lukas Rosol.
“I don’t think I had any break points against me, which is very good,” he said.
Before the floodlights came up, Serena’s elder sister Venus claimed a grand slam record of her own as her 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Ukraine’s Kateryna Kozlova marked her 72nd appearance in the main draw of a major.
Venus, 36, is enjoying a resurgence in a 2016 season that includes a WTA title in Taiwan. She survived 63 unforced errors against the rising Kozlova.
Men’s third seed Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland, a two-time semi-finalist, reached the second round with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-4 win over Spain’s Fernando Verdasco.
Kei Nishikori, who became Asia’s first men’s grand slam finalist in New York in 2014, when he fell to Marin Cilic in the final, also advanced, downing German Benjamin Becker 6-1, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion whose career was nearly ended by three wrist surgeries, advanced with a 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) victory over fellow Argentine Diego Schwartzman.
There was a little record-setting on the men’s side as well, with Croatian Ivo Karlovic belting a US Open record of 61 aces in a 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 win over Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun.
Karlovic, 37, beat the previous best of 49 aces for one match in New York established by Richard Krajicek in 1999.
“I knew there were a lot of aces because there was a period when almost every serve was an ace,” Karlovic said.
RESULTS FROM DAY 2 OF THE US OPEN
MEN’S FIRST ROUND
• Dominic Thiem (AUT x8) d John Millman (AUS) 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
• Ricardas Berankis (LTU) d Malek Jaziri (TUN) 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-2
• Pablo Carreño-Busta (ESP) d Ilya Ivashka (BLR) 6-0, 7-5, 6-2
• Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) d Sam Querrey (USA x29) 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (0/7), 6-3, 6-3
• Steve Johnson (USA x19) d Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) 4-6, 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-3
• Juan Martín del Potro (ARG) d Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)
• Fabio Fognini (ITA) d Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) 6-7 (9/11), 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5, 6-4
• David Ferrer (ESP x11) d Aleksandr Dolgopolov (UKR) 6-5 — retired
• Nick Kyrgios (AUS x14) d Aljaz Bedene (GBR) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
• Horacio Zeballos (ARG) d Florian Mayer (GER) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (9/7)
• Illya Marchenko (UKR) d Ivan Dodig (CRO) 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 7-5
• Damir Dzumhur (BIH) d Bernard Tomic (AUS x17) 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/0)
• Alexander Zverev (GER x27) d Daniel Brands (GER) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4)
• Daniel Evans (GBR) d Rajeev Ram (USA) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
• Alessandro Giannessi (ITA) d Denis Kudla (USA) 0-6, 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-0
• Stan Wawrinka (SUI x3) d Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-4
• Kei Nishikori (JPN x6) d Benjamin Becker (GER) 6-1, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
• Karen Khachanov (RUS) d Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
• Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) d Christian Harrison (USA) 6-0, 6-2, 6-1
• Nicolas Mahut (FRA) d Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x25) 6-3, 7-5, 1-0 — retired
• Ivo Karlovic (CRO x21) d Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5), 7-5
• Donald Young (USA) d Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5
• Viktor Troicki (SRB) d Radu Albot (MDA) 5-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)
• Jared Donaldson (USA) d David Goffin (BEL x12) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-0
• Feliciano Lopez (ESP x16) d Borna Coric (CRO) 3-4 — retired
• João Sousa (POR) d Víctor Estrella (DOM) 6-0, 6-1, 6-1
• Jérémy Chardy (FRA) d Michael Mmoh (USA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-1
• Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x22) d Inigo Cervantes (ESP) 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (9/7)
• Gilles Simon (FRA x30) d Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-3, 6-1, 6-4
• Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) d Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
• Marcel Granollers (ESP) d Juan Monaco (ARG) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4
• Andy Murray (GBR x2) d Lukas Rosol (CZE) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
WOMEN’S FIRST ROUND
• Serena Williams (USA x1) d Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 6-3, 6-3
• Vania King (USA) d Antonia Lottner (GER) 7-6 (7/2), 6-3
• Johanna Larsson (SWE) d Karin Knapp (ITA) 6-4, 6-2
• Denisa Allertová (CZE) d Ana Ivanovic (SRB x29) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1
• Wang Qiang (CHN) d Darya Kasatkina (RUS x23) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
• Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) d Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) 6-2, 6-3
• Zhang Shuai (CHN) d Ellen Perez (AUS) 6-1, 6-1
• Samantha Stosur (AUS x16) d Camila Giorgi (ITA) 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1
• Carla Suárez (ESP x11) d Teliana Pereira (BRA) 6-0, 6-0
• Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d Mariana Duque (COL) 6-4, 6-1
• Annika Beck (GER) d Nadia Podoroska (ARG) 7-6 (8/6), 6-3
• Elena Vesnina (RUS x19) d Anett Kontaveit (EST) 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-3
• Tímea Babos (HUN x31) d Barbara Haas (AUT) 5-7, 6-3, 7-5
• Richel Hogenkamp (NED) d Heather Watson (GBR) 6-2, 7-5
• Lucie Safarova (CZE) d Daria Gavrilova (AUS) 6-4, 6-4
• Simona Halep (ROM x5) d Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-0, 6-2
• Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x4) d Jessica Pegula (USA) 6-1, 6-1
• Naomi Broady (GBR) d Laura Robson (GBR) 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-4
• Katerina Siniaková (CZE) d Eugénie Bouchard (CAN) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
• Caroline Garcia (FRA x25) d Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
• Ana Konjuh (CRO) d Kiki Bertens (NED x20) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
• Kurumi Nara (JPN) d Stefanie Vögele (SUI) 6-0, 7-5
• Varvara Lepchenko (USA) d Peng Shuai (CHN) 4-6, 7-6 (11/9), 6-3
• Timea Bacsinszky (SUI x15) d Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) 6-1, 6-1
• Karolína Plísková (CZE x10) d Sofia Kenin (USA) 6-4, 6-3
• Montserrat González (PAR) d Danka Kovinic (MNE) 7-5, 6-2
• Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) d Nao Hibino (JPN) 6-4, 7-5
• Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x17) d Louisa Chirico (USA) 6-1, 6-4
• Laura Siegemund (GER x26) d Patricia Tig (ROM) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
• Nicole Gibbs (USA) d Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 6-1, 6-0
• Julia Göerges (GER) d Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 6-3, 6-2
• Venus Williams (USA x6) d Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport