NEW YORK, Aug 30: A year after winning her maiden grand slam title at the U.S. Open, Svetlana Kuznetsova suffered the humiliation of becoming the first defending women’s champion to lose in the opening round on Monday.

By contrast, fellow Russian Maria Sharapova and men’s second seed Rafael Nadal started their campaigns in irresistible style.

An out-of-sorts Kuznetsova stomped off court stony-faced after being thrashed 6-3 6-2 by little-known compatriot Ekaterina Bychkova.

Sharapova, the women’s top seed, demolished Greece’s Eleni Daniilidou 6-1 6-1 with a pugnacious display of hitting on Arthur Ashe Court. Spanish teenager Nadal beat American wild card Bobby Reynolds 6-3 6-3 6-4.

Argentine ninth seed Gaston Gaudio suffered a premature exit, losing 7-6 6-2 6-4 to U.S. wild card Brian Baker but Andre Agassi and women’s contenders Kim Clijsters and the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, recorded impressive first round victories.

Fifth seed Kuznetsova has struggled to live up to her success last year, failing to win a single title in 2005 and the 20-year-old looked burned out on Louis Armstrong Court.

Bychkova, also 20 but ranked only 97 and making her grand slam debut, dominated from the start while Kuznetsova ballooned errors from all angles.

Her defeat gave Russia a disappointing grand slam double in 2005. Anastasia Myskina also lost as defending champion in the first round of this year’s French Open.

Sharapova has never been beyond round three at Flushing Meadows but was clinical in her disposal of Daniilidou, who upset Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne in the Wimbledon first round in June.

Reigning French Open champion Nadal, the 19-year-old Spaniard who has won nine titles this year and risen to number two in the world, displayed flashes of his usual panache in beating American wild card Bobby Reynolds 6-3 6-3 6-4.

Gaudio, the 2004 French Open champion, offered little resistance after losing the first set tiebreak 11-9 to Baker, who took advantage to record his first victory at a grand slam event and only the fourth win of his career.

Seventh seed Agassi, now 35 and embarking on his 20th U.S. Open campaign, recorded a sprightly 6-3 6-3 6-1 win in the final night session match in only 69 minutes against Romania’s Razvan Sabau.

Women’s eighth seed Serena showed little sign of her nagging knee and ankle injury when she overwhelmed Taiwanese 16-year-old Yung-Jan Chan 6-1 6-3. Fourth seed Clijsters made even shorter work of German qualifier Martina Mueller, winning 6-1 6-2.

Serena trailed 3-1 in the second set after losing her serve before reeling off the next five games.

Older sister Venus, the Wimbledon champion and Serena’s potential fourth round opponent, mirrored her sibling’s winning scoreline by outclassing Japan’s Rika Fujiwara 6-3 6-1.

Monday’s results:

Men’s singles:

First round: Robin Soederling (Sweden) bt Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-4; 24-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt Florian Mayer (Germany) 6-1, 6-0, 6-2; 10-Mariano Puerta (Argentina) bt Noam Okun (Israel) 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-0; Igor Andreev (Russia) bt Gilles Elseneer (Belgium) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2; Giorgio Galimberti (Italy) bt Donald Young (US) 7-6(4), 6-1, 6-2; 23-Jiri Novak (Czech Republic) bt Dick Norman (Belgium) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2; 32-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) 7-6(6), 7-6(4), 6-4; 2-Rafael Nadal (Spain) bt Bobby Reynolds (US) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4; Cyril Saulnier (France) bt Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia and Montenegro) 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-3; Ricardo Mello (Brazil) bt Juan Monaco (Argentina) 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-1, 6-4; Brian Baker (US) bt 9-Gaston Gaudio (Argentina) 7-6(9), 6-2, 6-4; Nicolas Massu (Chile) bt Jan-Michael Gambill (US) 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-3; 18-Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) bt Tobias Summerer (Germany) 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3; Xavier Malisse (Belgium) bt Jan Hernych (Czech Republic) 6-2, 7-5, 6-2; 7-Andre Agassi (US) bt Razvan Sabau (Romania) 6-3, 6-3, 6-1; Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) bt Mardy Fish (US) 7-6(4), 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(4); Scoville Jenkins (US) bt George Bastl (Switzerland) 7-6(4), 6-0, 6-7(1), 4-6, 7-6(5); 19-Tommy Robredo (Spain) bt Daniele Bracciali (Italy) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; 13-Richard Gasquet (France) bt Alberto Martin (Spain) 6-2, 6-3, 1-6, 6-7(4), 6-4; 8-Guillermo Coria (Argentina) bt Felix Mantilla (Spain) 7-6(5), 6-1, 6-3; Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) bt Tomas Behrend (Germany) 6-3, 6-3, 6-0; 14-Thomas Johansson (Sweden) bt Mariano Zabaleta (Argentina) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3; 29-Tommy Haas (Germany) bt Peter Luczak (Australia) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

Women’s singles:

First round: Maria Kirilenko (Russia) bt Laura Pous Tio (Spain) 6-2, 6-3; Ivana Lisjak (Croatia) bt Emilie Loit (France) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3; Lisa Raymond (US) bt Anne Kremer (Luxembourg) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2; Fabiola Zuluaga (Colombia) bt Ashley Harkleroad (US) 6-0 3-0 — Harkleroad retired; Maria Elena Camerin (Italy) bt 21-Dinara Safina (Russia) 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3; 10-Venus Williams (US) bt Rika Fujiwara (Japan) 6-3, 6-1; Sania Mirza (India) bt Mashona Washington (US) 7-6(6), 6-7(6), 6-4; Nicole Pratt (Australia) bt Akiko Morigami (Japan) 6-7(0), 6-0 — Morigami retired; Ekaterina Bychkova (Russia) bt 5-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 6-3 6-2; Laura Granville (US) bt 22-Silvia Farina Elia (Italy) 6-2, 6-1; Aiko Nakamura (Japan) bt Marissa Irvin (US) 6-3, 6-3; 4-Kim Clijsters (Belgium) bt Martina Mueller (Germany) 6-1, 6-2; Maria Vento-Kabchi (Venezuela) bt Sanda Mamic (Croatia) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3; 20-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) bt Camille Pin (France) 6-3, 6-1; 9-Nadia Petrova (Russia) bt Eva Birnerova (Czech Republic) 6-4, 6-4; 18-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia and Montenegro) bt Lindsay Lee-Waters (US) 7-6(5), 6-3; Michaela Pastikova (Czech Republic) bt Rita Grande (Italy) 3-6 7-6(5) 6-3; Julia Schruff (Germany) beat 28-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5; Catalina Castano (Colombia) bt Alina Jidkova (Russia) 6-4, 6-3; 30-Ai Sugiyama (Japan) bt Alyona Bondarenko (Ukraine) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3; 8-Serena Williams (US) bt Yung-Jan Chan (Chinese Taipei) 6-1 6-3; 25-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) bt Jelena Kostanic (Croatia) 6-2, 7-5; Jie Zheng (China) beat Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) 6-2, 3-6, 6-0; 26-Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) bt Kveta Peschke (Czech Republic) 6-3, 6-1; 1-Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) 6-1, 6-1; Shahar Peer (Israel) bt Marta Domachowska (Poland) 7-5, 7-5; Maria Emilia Salerni (Argentina) bt Jessica Kirkland (US) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(0); Dally Randriantefy (Madagascar) bt Mary Gambale (US) 6-3, 6-1; Shenay Perry (US) bt 14-Alicia Molik (Australia) 6-4, 6-4; Marion Bartoli (France) bt Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic) 6-3, 6-0; Emma Laine (Finland) bt Shuai Peng (China) 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2; 33-Vera Douchevina (Russia) bt Tiffany Dabek (US) 6-1, 6-2.—Agencies