New York: Serena Williams launched her quest to win the US Open and complete a calendar Grand Slam by overwhelming 86th-ranked Russian Vitalia Diatchenko. The three-time defending champion won 6-0, 2-0 after only 30 minutes when Diatchenko retired with a left foot injury, advancing Williams into the second round at Flushing Meadows. The 33-year-old American chases the first calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988 and a 22nd career major title to match Graf’s Open Era record, two shy of Australian Margaret Court’s all-time mark.
Rafael Nadal is still a long way from reclaiming the form that once made him the most feared player on the ATP Tour, but with a solid victory against a talented young player, he moved into the second round of the U.S. Open. In his first U.S. Open match since his victory in the 2013 final, the eighth-seeded Nadal beat Borna Coric, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, in the last match of a busy opening day at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic cruised into the men’s second round but Japanese fourth seed Kei Nishikori crashed out after his runner-up effort last year. Williams praised the New York crowd, which has adored her since she captured her first major title at the 1999 US Open as a teen prodigy. “I felt the support and love on this journey and milestone I’m trying to take one match at a time,” Williams said. “I feel so good. I’m so ready. I’m at home, where it all began for me in ’99. It all feels great.”
Williams advanced to a second-round match against Dutch qualifier Kiki Bertens, who eliminated Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. “If I can just stay relaxed and stay in the points and stay calm and stay happy out there, I have to look at it as I have nothing to lose.” Williams lost plenty of potential obstacles in her march to history on day one as top-10 women’s seeds Ana Ivanovic, Karolina Pliskova and Carla Suarez Navarro exited with opening-match losses. That left 12th seed Belinda Bencic — who ousted Bulgarian Sesil Karatancheva 6-1, 6-2 — as the top-rated foe in Williams’ half of the draw. Williams, who lost to Bencic in the Toronto semi-finals, could see the Swiss teen again in a quarter-final.
