NEW YORK, Aug 31: Andre Agassi returned to his favourite hunting ground on Monday to serve up a traditional late-night feast on the opening day of the US Open.
After men's top seed Roger Federer and women's third seed Serena Williams had posted impressive first round victories on a muggy day at Flushing Meadows, it was the 34-year-old Agassi who stole the show with a 7-6 6-4 6-2 victory over fellow American Robby Ginepri.
It was the sixth time in seven years that the eight-times grand slam champion had topped the bill on the opening night session, and he did not disappoint despite a few anxious moments.
After edging the first-set tiebreak, Agassi, who is bidding for a third U.S. Open title, showed that age has not blunted his ground strokes as he took his record for night matches at the U.S. Open to 24-3.
"I felt pretty good tonight apart from my first serve, I never found my rhythm and could not relax," he said. Top seed Federer's 7-5 6-2 6-4 victory over Spain's Albert Costa was routine for the Swiss who is bidding to become the first player since Sweden's Mats Wilander in 1988 to win three grand slam titles in the same year.
In stifling humidity, the world number one started untidily against an opponent who beat him on their two previous meetings, but a Costa double-fault gifted him the first set and he was rarely troubled again.
After second seed Amelie Mauresmo and Jennifer Capriati both eased into the second round of the women's singles, two-times champion Serena showed off her Open credentials with a quickfire 6-1 6-3 victory over Sandra Kleinova.
Taking to the court in knee-length boots, denim skirt and diamond-studded crop top, the twice former champion showed flashes of her dazzling best during a routine 53-minute victory.
Williams was told beforehand by the USTA that she would only be allowed to wear her boots during the warm-up, but after reverting to more traditional tennis shoes she trampled all over the world number 84.
Earlier, Mauresmo, still looking for her first slam, enjoyed a comfortable 6-4 6-2 victory against American Marissa Irvin while eighth seed Capriati recovered from a poor start to beat Czech Denisa Chladkova 2-6 6-1 6-2.
Capriati, three times a semifinalist at Flushing Meadows, was given an early scare by Chladkova and said she just had to grind it our. Men's third seed Carlos Moya had to dig deep against 19-year-old American wildcard Brian Baker, losing the first set before coming through 6-7 6-4 6-4 6-2.
The Spaniard's best run at the U.S. Open was the semi-finals in 1998, the year of his French Open triumph. There were a notable lack of shocks in Monday's play, although there were some seeded casualties.
In the men's singles Wimbledon semifinalist Mario Ancic, the 27th seed, was beaten in straight sets by Belgium's Olivier Rochus, while in the women's 18th seed Karolina Sprem lost to compatriot Jelena Kostanic and American 32nd seed Meghann Shaughnessy fell to Marion Bartoli of France 6-4 6-4.
Elsewhere, Todd Martin's four-set defeat to wily Frenchman Fabrice Santoro marked the end of his long career. The 34-year-old American, appearing in his 15th U.S. Open, announced his retirement immediately after the match.
FIST ROUND RESULTS:
Fabrice Santoro (France) bt Todd Martin (U.S.) 4-6 6-4 6-4 7-5; aston Gaudio (Argentina) bt Juan Monaco (Argentina) 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-3 6-2; Sargis Sargsian (Armenia) bt Alex Corretja (Spain) 2-6 6-4 6-0 6-1; Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) bt Raemon Sluiter (Netherlands) 6-2 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (14-12); ardy Fish (U.S.) bt David Ferrer (Spain) 7-5 6-3 6-2 Taylor Dent (U.S.) beat Younes El Aynaoui (Morocco) 6-1 2-1 - retired; Andrei Pavel (Romania) bt Jarkko Nieminen (Finland 6-3 7-5 6-7 (7-5) 6-3; Alex Calatrava (Spain) bt Alex Bogdanovic (Britain) 6-3 3-6 4-6 6-1 6-4; Michal Tabara (Czech Republic) bt Max Mirnyi (Belarus) 6-4 3-6 6-4 6-4; Olivier Rochus (Belgium) bt Mario Ancic (Croatia) 7-5 6-2 7-6 (8-6); Thomas Johansson (Sweden) bat Daniel Elsner (Germany) 7-6 (6-3) 6-4 6-3; Fernando Verdasco (Spain) bt Igor Andreev (Russia) 6-3 6-4 4-6 2-6 7-5; Karol Kucera (Slovakia) bt Xavier Malisse (Belgium) 6-1 1-6 1-6 6-4 6-1; Potito Starace (Italy) bt Alexander Popp (Germany) 1-6 6-3 6-4 6-3; Jerome Golmard (France) bt Irakli Labadze (Georgia) 7-6 (7-2) - retired; Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt Albert Costa (Spain) 7-5 6-2 6-4; Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) bt Nicolas Mahut (France) 6-3 7-5 6-2; Carlos Moya (Spain) bt Brian Baker (U.S.) 6-7 (8-6) 6-4 6-4 6-2; Amer Delic (U.S.) bt Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia and Montenegro) 6-1 6-3 6-4; Cyril Saulnier (France) bt Greg Rusedski (Britain) 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 7-6 (9-7); Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) bt Olivier Mutis (France) 2-6 6-2 6-1 7-5; Jiri Novak (Czech Republic) bt Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) 7-5 6-1 6-3; Andre Agassi(US)bt Robby Ginepri (US) 7-6 6-4 6-2
WOMEN (FIRST ROUND)
Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) bt Marissa Irvin (USA) 6-4, 6-2; Ai Sugiyama (JPN) bt Teryn Ashley (USA) 7-5, 6-2; Stephanie Foretz (FRA) bt Shenay Perry (USA) 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (5/7), 6-4; Vera Zvonareva (RUS) bt Henrieta Nagyova (SVK) 6-1, 6-1; Alicia Molik (AUS) bt Stephanie Cohen-Aloro (FRA) 6-0, 6-2; Gisela Dulko (ARG) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3; Francesca Schiavone (ITA) bt Klara Koukalova (CZE) 6-1, 6-3; Eugenia Linetskaya (RUS) bt Rita Grande (ITA) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2; Maria Vento-Kabchi (VEN) bt Conchita Martinez (SPA) 0-6, 6-2, 6-3; Jelena Kostanic (CRO) bt Karolina Sprem (CRO) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4; Jalia Vakulenko (UKR) bt Amber Liu (USA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; Jennifer Capriati (USA) bt Denisa Chladkova (CZE) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2; Marion Bartoli (FRA) bt Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) 6-4, 6-4; Akiko Morigami (JPN) bt Emmanuelle Gagliardi (SWI) 6-2, 6-2; Magdalena Maleeva (BUL) bt Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4; Severine Beltrame (FRA) bt Martina Sucha (SVK) 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-1; Tatiana Golovin (FRA) bt Anca Barna (GER) 6-2, 6-4; Magui Serna (SPA) bt Maureen Drake (CAN) 6-2, 6-4; Fabiola Zuluaga (COL) bt Myriam Casanova (SWI) 6-3, 6-4; Tathiana Garbin (ITA) bt Mara Santangelo (ITA) 6-2, 6-1; Julia Schruff (GER) bt Jennifer Hopkins (USA) 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1; Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) bt Camille Pin (FRA) 1-6, 7-6 (7/5),7-6(11/9); bt Helena Dementeva (RUS) bt Dinara Safina (RUS) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2; Lindsay Lee-Waters (USA) bt Claudine Schaul (LUX) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4; Els Callens (BEL) bt Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) 2-6, 6-4, 7-5; Vera Douchevina (RUS) bt Aniko Kapros (HUN) 6-1, 6-3; Iveta Benesova (CZE) bt Bethanie Mattek (USA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Patty Schnyder (SWI) bt Roberta Vinci (ITA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-0; Serena Williams (USA) bt Sandra Kleinova (CZE) 6-1, 6-3; Angela Haynes (USA) bt Tatiana Perebiynis (UKR) 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 7-6 (7/5); Nathalie Dechy (FRA) bt Jelena Dokic (SCG) 3-6, 6-0, 7-5; Cara Black (ZIM) bt Jamea Jackson (USA) 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-4. -Agencies