NEW YORK: Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic suffered in sweltering US Open conditions on Tuesday but battled through to the second round with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory over Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.

Djokovic, playing his first match on Arthur Ashe Stadium since falling to Stan Wawrinka in the 2016 final, received a brutal welcome back to Flushing Meadows as soaring temperatures and high humidity prompted organizers to offer the men a 10-minute mid-match heat break for the first time ever.

“We both struggled. We were not the only ones today. Brutal conditions,” said Djokovic, who called for trainers who enveloped him in ice packed towels late in the second set. “I had to find a way to dig myself out of the trouble.”

Until late in the third it was ‘survival mode’, said Djokovic, who endured a rocky start to the season after elbow surgery before breaking through for a 13th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.

His Cincinnati Masters victory over Roger Federer stamped him a US Open favourite along with defending champion Rafael Nadal, despite his modest sixth seeding.

He certainly looked a contender as he reeled off the last 10 games against Fucsovics, showing signs of sharper focus even before the 10-minute heat break between the third and fourth sets.

Federer, the second seed, escaped the worst of the conditions as he headlined the night session on Ashe. Nor did he meet much resistance from Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory.

Federer, who claimed his 20th Grand slam title at the Australian Open in January, put the match away two games later, sealing it with a service winner.

“I didn’t know how really good Nishioka was,” Federer admitted of the 22-year-old, who was ranked 58th in the world last March before tearing a left knee ligament and sliding out of the top 150.

Fourth-seeded German Alexander Zverev kept his time in the sun to a minimum with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Canadian lucky loser Peter Polansky.

And Australian Nick Kyrgios, opening the evening action on Louis Armstrong stadium, fired 25 aces and 48 total winners in a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Moldova’s Radu Albot.

For many, however, the day was a hard slog and the decision made some two hours in to afford the men a heat break after a third set wasn’t enough to prevent half a dozen retirements.

Italy’s Stefano Travaglia, Argentine Leonardo Mayer, Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis, Russian Mikhail Youzhny and Serbian Filip Krajinovic were all victims of the heat while Romanian Marius Copil succumbed to an arm injury in the third set of his match with seventh-seeded former champion Marin Cilic.

Women’s second seed Caroline Wozniacki took the weather in stride, trying to ‘think cool thoughts’ as she defeated 2011 champion Samantha Stosur 6-3, 6-2.

For France’s Alize Cornet, however, the steamy conditions were a ‘nightmare’ that had her weeping courtside during a three-set loss to Johanna Larsson of Sweden.

In other women’s matches, reigning Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber defeated Russian Margarita Gasparyan 7-6, 6-3.

Two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova beat Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 6-1, 6-4 and 2017 runner-up Madison Keys downed France’s Pauline Parmentier 6-4, 6-4.

Maria Sharapova, who won the last of her five Grand Slam titles in 2014, advanced 6-2, 7-6 over Patty Schnyder, out of retirement and at 39 the oldest player to qualify for a Grand Slam main draw.

Tuesday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

First round: 7-Marin Cilic (Croatia) bt Marius Copil (Romania) 7-5, 6-1, 1-1 — Copil retired; Hubert Hurkacz (Poland) bt Stefano Travaglia (Italy) 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 3-0 — Travaglia retired; Alex De Minaur (Australia) bt Taro Daniel (Japan) 6-0, 6-1, 6-2; Frances Tiafoe (US) bt 29-Adrian Mannarino (France) 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; Julien Benneteau (France) bt 22-Marco Cecchinato (Italy) 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-4; Jan-Lennard Struff (Germany) bt Tim Smyczek (US) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-3; Robin Haase (Netherlands) bt Mackenzie McDonald (US) 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3; 10-David Goffin (Belgium) bt Federico Gaio (Italy) 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5); 13-Diego Schwartzman (Argentina) bt Federico Delbonis (Argentina) 6-2, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2; Jaume Munar (Spain) bt Ruben Bemelmans (Belgium) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-1; Gael Monfils (France) bt Facundo Bagnis (Argentina 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-0, 6-0; 21-Kei Nishikori (Japan) bt Maximilian Marterer (Germany) 6-2, 6-2, 6-3; Matthew Ebden (Australia) bt 32-Filip Krajinovic (Serbia) 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (5-7), 4-6, 6-1, 4-1 — Krajinovic retired; Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) bt Yannick Hanfmann (Germany) 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; Nicolas Mahut (France) bt Corentin Moutet (France) 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4; 4-Alexander Zverev (Germany) bt Peter Polansky (Canada) 6-2, 6-1, 6-2; 6-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) bt Marton Fucsovics (Hungary) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0; Tennys Sandgren (US) bt Viktor Troicki (Serbia) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; Laslo Djere (Serbia) bt Leonardo Mayer (Argentina) 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 2-1 — Mayer retired; 26-Richard Gasquet (France) bt Yuichi Sugita (Japan) 6-3, 6-1, 6-3; 17-Lucas Pouille (France) bt Yannick Maden (Germany) 7-6 (8-6), 6-2, 7-5; Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) bt Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 3-1 — Youzhny retired; Joao Sousa (Portugal) bt Marcel Granollers (Spain) 6-2, 6-2, 6-3; 12-Pablo Carreno-Busta (Spain) bt Malek Jaziri (Tunisia) 7-5, 6-2, 6-2; 14-Fabio Fognini (Italy) bt Michael Mmoh (US) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); John Millman (Australia) bt Jenson Brooksby (US) 6-4, 6-2, 6-0; Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) bt Noah Rubin (US) 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3); 23-Chung Hyeon (South Korea) bt Ricardas Berankis (Lithuania) 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-0, 2-0 — Berankis retired; 30-Nick Kyrgios (Australia) bt Radu Albot (Moldova) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2; Pierre-Hugues Herbert (France) bt Yuki Bhambri (India) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 Benoit Paire (France) bt Dennis Novak (Austria) 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5); 2-Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt Yoshihito Nishioka (Japan) 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.

Women’s singles:

First round: 6-Caroline Garcia (France) bt Johanna Konta (Great Britain) 6-2, 6-2; Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) bt Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) 6-0, 6-0; Kristina Mladenovic (France) bt Tamara Zidansek (Slovenia) 6-0, 6-3; 30-Carla Suarez (Spain) bt Nicole Gibbs (US) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4; 22-Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) 6-2, 7-6 (8-6); Sorana Cirstea (Romania) bt Alison Riske (US) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5; Taylor Townsend (US) bt Amanda Anisimova (US) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3; 10-Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) bt Andrea Petkovic (Germany) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5; 14-Madison Keys (US) bt Pauline Parmentier (France) 6-4, 6-4; Bernarda Pera (US) bt Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan) 7-6 (8-6), 6-4; Aleksandra Krunic (Serbia) bt Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) 6-2, 3-6, 6-0; Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) bt 24-CoCo Vandeweghe (US) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3); 29-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) bt Arantxa Rus (Netherlands) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3; Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) bt Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3; Johanna Larsson (Sweden) bt Alize Cornet (France) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; 4-Angelique Kerber (Germany) bt Margarita Gasparyan (Russia) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3; 5-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) bt Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) 6-1, 6-4; Wang Yafan (China) bt Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Slovakia) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4; Vera Zvonareva (Russia) bt Anna Blinkova (Russia) 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 7-5; 26-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) bt Danielle Collins (US) 6-0, 4-6, 6-4; 20-Naomi Osaka (Japan) bt Laura Siegemund (Germany) 6-3, 6-2; Julia Glushko (Israel) bt Monica Niculescu (Romania) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4; Aliaksandra Sasnovich (Belarus) bt Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2; 11-Darya Kasatkina (Russia) bt Timea Babos (Hungary) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4; 13-Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) bt Kristyna Pliskova (Czech Republic) 6-0, 7-5; Francesca Di Lorenzo (US) bt Christina McHale (US) 6-1, 7-6 (7-1); Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) bt Harmony Tan (France) 6-3, 6-1; Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic) bt Mona Barthel (Germany) 6-1, 6-4; Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic) bt 28-Anett Kontaveit (Estonia) 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 7-5; Ajla Tomljanovic (Australia) bt Lizette Cabrera (Australia) 6-4, 6-1; Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) bt Alison Van Uytvanck (Belgium) 6-3, 6-2; 2-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) bt Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-3, 6-2.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2018