02 September 2004	Thursday	16 Rajab 1425

NEW YORK, Sept 1: Defending champion Andy Roddick unleashed the fastest serve in US Open history on his way to a 6-0 6-2 6-2 demolition of Scoville Jenkins on Tuesday as Maria Sharapova's tournament was almost ended at the first stage.

Roddick slammed down a 152mph bullet in his first service game of the night as he overwhelmed Jenkins, the USTA boys' under-18 national champion, who was appearing in his first tour match.

The second seed raced through his opening match in 72 minutes to set up a potentially tricky second round meeting with Spain's Rafael Nadal. Sharapova arrived in New York billed as the new queen of tennis after her dazzling win over Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final, but she was forced to rough it against gutsy American Laura Granville, scraping a 6-3 5-7 7-5 victory.

The Florida-based Russian mixed sublime winners with a rash of unforced errors but showed real character when she served to stay in the match at 4-5 in the decider. When a fierce first serve finally ended the contest after two hours, nine minutes of pulsating action, she breathed her huge sigh of relief and pumped her fists.

Earlier top seed and defending women's champion Justine Henin-Hardenne was given a scare by 15-year-old Czech qualifier Nicole Vaidisova when she fell 4-1 behind in the second set after taking the first 6-1 in 17 minutes.

Normal service was resumed as she won five consecutive games but the Belgian admitted the teenager, who won her first WTA tournament in Vancouver earlier this month, had proved a big surprise.

Fifth seed Lindsay Davenport, who is one of the favourites to challenge Henin-Hardenne for the title, cruised into the second round with a 6-4 6-0 defeat of Slovakia's Lubomira Kurhajcova - her 18th consecutive victory.

Another serious contender for the title, French Open champion Anastasia Myskina, was equally impressive, crushing Ludmila Cervanova 6-1 6-0 in 42 minutes to lead a total of 11 Russian women into the second round.

Eleventh seed Venus Williams also moved through with an unconvincing 6-3 7-6 win against Hungary's Petra Mandula. In men's first round action Russia's Marat Safin, the 2000 champion, suffered his earliest U.S. Open exit in six attempts as the 13th seed slumped to a 7-6 6-4 3-6 6-3 defeat to experienced Swede Thomas Enqvist.

Last year's beaten men's finalist Juan Carlos Ferrero survived, just, although he will have to improve dramatically if he is going to make a similar impact this year.

The Spaniard spent four hours, 28 minutes on Louis Armstrong Court to scramble past Czech qualifier Tomas Zib 4-6 7-5 7-6 6-7 6-3. Fifth seed Tim Henman overcame a painful back and 39 aces from giant Croatian Ivo Karlovic to advance, the Briton recovering from a set down to win 7-6 6-7 4-6 6-4 6-4.

Double Olympic gold medallist Nicolas Massu of Chile maintained his hot streak, blasting away Jose Acasuso of Argentina for the loss of just six games. Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan also cruised into the second round, coming from a set down to beat Victor Hanescu of Romania 4-6 6-4 6-1 6-1.

RESULTS:

WOMEN'S FIRST ROUND:

Venus Williams (U.S.) bt Petra Mandula (Hungary) 6-3 7-6 (7-3); Shikha Uberoi (U.S.) bt Saori Obata (Japan) 6-3 3-6 7-5; Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt Laura Granville (U.S.) 6-3 5-7 7-5; Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spain) bt Alexandra Stevenson (U.S.) 6-4 7-5; Paola Suarez (Argentina) bt Nan-Nan Liu (China) 6-1 7-5; Jelena Jankovic (Serbia & Montenegro) bt Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spain) 6-3 6-4; Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) bt Sesil Karatancheva (Bulgaria) 6-2 6-0; Arantxa Parra Santonja (Spain) bt Marlene Weingartner (Germany) 6-2 7-6 (7-5); Nicole Pratt (Australia) bt Catalina Castano (Colombia) 3-6 6-1 6-3; Maria Kirilenko (Russia) bt Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3; Dally Randriantefy (Madagascar) bt Jessica Kirkland (U.S.) 6-4 6-4; Kristina Brandi (Puerto Rico) bt Milagros Sequera (Venezuela) 6-1 6-2; 19-Silvia Farina Elia (Italy) bt Abigail Spears (U.S.) 3-6 6-2 6-4; Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) bt Silvija Talaja (Croatia) 3-6 6-3 7-5; Amy Frazier (U.S.) bt Kelly McCain (U.S.) 6-2 6-2; Antonella Serra Zanetti (Italy) bat Mashona Washington (U.S.) 7-5 7-5; Lindsay Davenport (U.S.) bt Lubomira Kurhajcova (Slovakia) 6-4 6-0; Anastasia Myskina (Russia) bt Ludmila Cervanova (Slovakia) 6-1 6-0; Samantha Stosur (Australia) bt Virginie Razzano (France) 7-5 6-4; Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) bt Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic) 7-5 6-3; Shinobu Asagoe (Japan) bt -Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi (Israel) 3-6 6-4 6-1; Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) bt Tatiana Panova (Russia) 6-3 6-2; Nadia Petrova (Russia) bt Zheng Jie (China) 6-0 6-1; Mary Pierce (France) bt Emilie Loit (France) 6-1 6-2; -Chanda Rubin (U.S.) bt Maria Sanchez Lorenzo (Spain) 6-2 6-2; Maria Elena Camerin (Italy) bt Melinda Czink (Hungary) 6-4 6-2; Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) bt Barbara Schett (Austria) 1-6 6-4 6-2; Elena Bovina (Russia) bt Marta Marrero (Spain) 6-3 6-0; Maria Kirilenko (Russia) bt -Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) 7-6(7-3) 6-3; Lisa Raymond (U.S.) bt Alina Jidkova (Russia) 7-5 6-3; Tzipora Obziler (Israel) bt Angelique Widjaja (1-Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) bt Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) 6-1 6-4.

MEN'S FIRST ROUND:

Andy Roddick (U.S.) bt Scoville Jenkins (U.S.) 6-0 6-2 6-2; Rafael Nadal (Spain) bt Ivo Heuberger (Switzerland) 6-0 6-3 4-6 2-6 6-3; Guillermo Canas (Argentina) bt Kristof Vliegen (Belgium)6-3 4-6 7-5 6-1; Joachim Johansson (Sweden) bt Yen-Hsun Lu (Taiwan) 6-3 6-1 6-3; Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) bt Tomas Zib (Czech Republic)4-6 7-5 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (4-7) 6-3; Jan-Michael Gambill (U.S.) bt Rajeev Ram (U.S.) 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-4; Filippo Volandri (Italy) bt KJ Hippensteel (U.S.) 6-3 6-4 6-2; Arnaud Clement (France) bt Wayne Arthurs (Australia) 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-3; Andreas Seppi (Italy) bt Rainer Schuettler (Germany) 3-6 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-1) 6-1; Stefan Koubek (Austria) bt Alex Bogomolov Jr (U.S.) 6-3 6-4 1-6 2-6 6-3; Michael Llodra (France) bt Gilles Elseneer (Belgium) 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2; Alexander Peya (Austria) bt Bobby Reynolds (U.S.) 2-6 6-3 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-4; Florian Mayer (Germany) bt Flavio Saretta (Brazil) 6-4 6-2 6-1; Thomas Enqvist (Sweden) bt -Marat Safin (Russia) 7-6 (7-5)6-4 3-6 6-3;Tommy Robredo (Spain) bt Danai Udomchoke (Thailand) 6-4 7-5 6-4; Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) bt Mariano Zabaleta (Argentina) 4-6 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2; Tim Henman (Britain) bt Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) 7-6 (7-3)6-7 (7-9) 4-6 6-4 6-4; Paul Goldstein (U.S.) bt Takao Suzuki (Japan) 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 6-2 6-1; Alberto Martin (Spain) bt Antony Dupuis (France) 3-6 6-2 6-4 6-4; Lee Hyung-taik (South Korea) bt Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) 3-6 6-3 1-1, retired; Paradorn Srichaphan (Thailand) bt Victor Hanescu (Romania) 4-6 6-4 6-1 6-1; Nicolas Massu (Chile) bat Jose Acasuso (Argentina) 6-4 6-0 6-2; Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) bt Oscar Hernandez (Spain) 6-1 6-2 6-1. -Reuters