US Open round-up: Nadal cruises into second round

13:07 04/12/2013
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  • World No2 Rafael Nadal needed just a little more than two hours to move into the second round of the US Open on Monday.

    At the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, the Spaniard, who is heavily favoured to snatch the crown from Andy Murray this year, beat American Ryan Harrison in two hours and six minutes 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

    Harrison, who is yet to win a title on the ATP Tour and was playing his fifth US Open, slammed 11 aces against just three from Nadal, but he was no match for the Spaniard’s overall solid game.

    Nadal improved to 16-0 on hard courts this year. He is seeking his 12th finals appearance in 13 tournaments he’s entered this year after a seven-month injury layoff.

    Earlier in the day, the tournament lost its first high seed when British qualifier Daniel Evans stunned No12 seed Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 to book a second round meeting with Australia’s Bernard Tomic, who needed five sets and almost four hours to get past Albert Ramos.

    Nishikori, who made the third round last year in New York, hit 38 unforced errors against the 179th-ranked Evans, who was making his US Open debut and had never won a Grand Slam main draw match.

    “He had no pressure and I was tight,” said Nishikori. “I haven’t played well these last three weeks but I thought it was getting better.”

    Women's round-up

    Over on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Venus Williams celebrated her 60th major by sporting bright purple hair and a striking triumph to match.

    Williams, a champion in 2000 and 2001 and the second oldest woman in the draw at 33, started her 15th US Open with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Belgian No12 seed Kirsten Flipkens, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon.

    Williams, now ranked 60 in the world, faces either China’s Zheng Jie or Kiki Bertens after avenging a loss to Flipkens at Toronto earlier this month.

    “It’s just good to be here, see familiar faces since my first time in 1997 with the beads and the braces,” said Williams after firing 21 winners.

    The American improved to 15-0 in US Open openers by beating Flipkens.

    Polish No3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, who has never got beyond the last-16, eased past Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-1, 6-2 and next faces another Spaniard, Maria Teresa Torro-Flor.

    Chinese fifth seed Li Na also reached the second round with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Olga Govortsova of Belarus.

    Li, a quarter-finalist in 2009, next plays Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden. Britain’s Laura 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 France’s Caroline Garcia.

    “I think I played really well here last year but this is only the second round. There’s a long way to go,” said the 19-year-old Robson.

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