NEW YORK CITY, Aug 26: Britain, buoyed by the Andy Murray feel-good factor, celebrated US Open first round wins for Laura Robson and qualifier Daniel Evans on Monday as Agnieszka Radwanska and Li Na cruised into the second round.
As the first day of the final Grand Slam of the season got underway at Flushing Meadows, Robson, the first British woman to be seeded at a major for 26 years, won nine games in succession to beat Spanish veteran Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 7-5, 6-0.
The 30th seed, who ended Kim Clijsters’ career in New York 12 months ago on her way to the last 16, next faces either France’s Caroline Garcia.
But she was over-shadowed, however, when world 179 Evans, making his debut after coming through qualifying, swept past Japanese 11th seed Kei Nishikori, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Evans had been 0-2 in Grand Slam matches, both at Wimbledon and the 23-year-old had to rally from a set down in his final match of qualifying to make the field.
Nishikori, who made the third round, last year, committed 38 unforced errors. Both players faced nine break points on Monday, but Evans converted six and to just two for Nishikori.
With Nishikori’s elimination, five-time US Open champion Roger Federer loses the highest-ranked rival in his eighth of the draw and a major obstacle in his path to the quarter-finals, where he could meet Rafael Nadal for the first time at the US Open.
Polish third seed Radwanska, who has never got beyond the last-16 in New York, eased past Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-1, 6-2 and next faces another Spaniard, Maria Teresa Torro-Flor.
In the tournament’s first match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Radwanska needed only 63 minutes to improve to 28-2 in Grand Slam openers. She won 15 of 21 points at the net.
“I think two-sets match for the first match is always good,” Radwanska said. “I prepared very good. I’m ready now to play here and hopefully I can play same good tennis.”
Chinese fifth seed Li also reached the second round with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Olga Govortsova of Belarus.
The fifth-seeded Li didn’t face a break point and had 28 winners and next plays Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden. The US Open has been the least successful Grand Slam event for the Chinese star, who has advanced past the fourth round only once.
Results (prefix number denotes seeding):
Men’s Singles:
First round: 23-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) bt Florent Serra (France) 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-3, 6-3; 32-Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) bt Aljaz Bedene (Slovenia) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0; Daniel Evans (Britain) bt 11-Kei Nishikori (Japan) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Women’s singles:
First round: Caroline Garcia (France) bt Shelby Rogers (US) 6-3, 6-2; 25-Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) bt Vania King (US) 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1; Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (Austria) bt 29-Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 7-6 (7-2), 6-3; Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) bt Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) 1-6, 6-4, 6-1; Coco Vandeweghe (US) bt Aleksandra Krunic (Serbia) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5); 30-Laura Robson (Britain) bt Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Spain) 7-5, 6-0; 3-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) bt Silvia Soler Espinosa (Spain) 6-1, 6-2; Maria Teresa Torro (Spain) bt Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) 6-0, 6-4; 5-Li Na (China) beat Olga Govortsova (Belarus) 6-2, 6-2; 18-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) beat Lauren Davis (US) 6-0, 6-0.—Agencies