Saketh Myneni gave it a good old go, before falling just short, Rafael Nadal went into cruise mode, while Novak Djokovic battled past Jerzy Janowicz and a wrist injury as the US Open first round action kicked off what promises to be an exciting two weeks of tennis at Flushing Meadows in New York.
Myneni wasn't expected to trouble Vesely too much in his first round match, but the Indian put on a stirring show, before an injury, as the match headed into the final set, led to his exit. In a match that lasted three hours and 47 minutes, Vesely came from two sets to one down to get the better of Myneni 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5.
While Myneni and Vesely battled it out in a five-set thriller, Nadal had no problems whatsoever, easing past Istomin 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, in what the Spaniard called a "normal" performance. While Nadal said there are still a lot of areas to improve, he was happy with the fact that his wrist injury seems to be getting better, something that is essential if he is to challenge for the US Open title.
"(The performance was) normal," Nadal told reporters after his first round victory. "That's the real thing. Not very good, not very bad.
"I think I played, it was a good start for me obviously winning here in straight sets. I have been dominating the match comfortable after 6-1, 4-1, and I think in that game I could have the second break in the second set, no, and go 5-1. Didn't happen. And then the second set was tougher. Was tough at the end. I had the break in the last one. In the third I think I finished playing well."
Djokovic, playing in the night session at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, had a bit of trouble here and there and an injury to his arm, and while it was quite clear the Serbian is still not even remotely at his best, yet, the world number one and defending champion, who has never lost in the first round at the US Open, found a way past Janowicz 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.
"It's not easy to play at a high level throughout the year," Djokovic told ESPN in an on-court interview. "There are times when you're not playing at a 100%. I don't think it's necessary to talk about (the injury), I am just taking it day by day. Overall, it was a pretty good performance."
Joining Nadal and Djokovic in the second round are crowd favourites Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils, with the two Frenchmen winning their matches in straight sets as well. Tsonga topped Guido Andreozzi 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, while Monfils beat Gilles Muller 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5). Another Frenchman, Richard Gasquet, however, will take an early flight home after the No.13 seed was upset by Kyle Edmund 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.
The former champion Marin Cilic also had little problems, easing through with a 6-4, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Brazilian Rogerio Dutra Silva.
In the women's singles, Angelique Kerber stayed on course to usurp Serena Williams as the world number one after the No.2 seed's opponent Polona Hercog retired in the second set, with Kerber leading the match 6-0, 1-0.
Another of the title contenders in the women's section – Garbine Mugurza – though had to pull out all the stops to beat qualifier Elise Mertens 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 in an hour and 57 minutes.
The Olympics gold medallist Monica Puig, however, could not do enough, with the Puerto Rican, who beat Kerber in the final in Rio 2016, exiting after a 6-4, 6-2 defeat to China's Zheng Saisai.
US Open results (all first round): Women's singles: 8-Madison Keys beat Alison Riske 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2; 12-Dominika Cibulkova beat Magda Linette 6-2, 6-3; Lesia Tsurenko beat 21-Irina Begu 6-0, 6-4; 3-Garbine Muguruza Blanco beat Elise Mertens 2-6, 6-0, 6-3; Wang Yafan beat Alison Van Uytvanck 6-3, 7-6 (7-4); Duan Yingying beat Maria Sakkari 6-4, 4-6, 6-3; Anastasija Sevastova beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3, 6-3; Yulia Putintseva beat Sabine Lisicki 6-1, 6-2; Naomi Osaka beat 28-Coco Vandeweghe 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-4; Catherine Bellis beat Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 6-3; Shelby Rogers beat 27-Sara Errani 6-4, 7-6 (7-3); Christina McHale beat Mona Barthel 6-2, 6-2; 9-Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-2; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni beat Alize Cornet 6-4, 6-1; Caroline Wozniacki beat Taylor Townsend 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Cagla Buyukakcay beat Irina Falconi 6-2, 6-1; 2-Angelique Kerber beat Polona Hercog 6-0, 1-0 (retired); Andrea Petkovic beat Kristina Kucova 7-6 (7-3), 6-3; 24-Belinda Bencic beat Samantha Crawford 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-4; 14-Petra Kvitova beat Jelena Ostapenko 7-5, 6-3; Carina Witthoeft beat 30-Misaki Doi 6-4, 6-1; 7-Roberta Vinci beat Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-2, 6-4; Kateryna Bondarenko beat Hsieh Su-Wei 6-0, 7-5; Ana Bogdan beat Sorana Cirstea 0-6, 7-5, 6-2; Zheng Saisai beat 32-Monica Puig 6-4, 6-2; Tsvetana Pironkova beat Virginie Razzano 6-1, 6-2; Evgeniya Rodina beat Danielle Collins 6-1, 6-2.
Men's singles: 1-Novak Djokovic beat Jerzy Janowicz 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1; 32-Benoit Paire beat Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 2-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1; 20-John Isner beat Frances Tiafoe 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 7-6 (7-3); Vasek Pospisil beat Jozef Kovalik 6-1, 6-3, 6-3; Marcos Baghdatis beat Facundo Bagnis 6-4, 6-2, 1-1 (retired); 4-Rafael Nadal beat Denis Istomin 6-1, 6-4, 6-2; 10-Gael Monfils beat Gilles Muller 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5); Andreas Seppi beat Stephane Robert 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3; Steve Darcis beat Jordan Thompson 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 7-5; Nicolas Almagro beat Marton Fucsovics 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7); 31-Albert Ramos beat Julien Benneteau 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1; Sergiy Stakhovsky beat Gastao Elias 6-1, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4); Ernesto Escobedo beat Lukas Lacko 6-4, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3 (retired); Andrey Kuznetsov beat Thomaz Bellucci 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6); 7-Marin Cilic beat Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-4, 7-5, 6-1; Guido Pella beat Bjorn Fratangelo 6-3, 6-4, 6-4; Mikhail Youzhny beat 28-Martin Klizan 6-2, 6-1, 6-1; Kyle Edmund beat 13-Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-2, 6-3; 24-Lucas Pouille beat Mikhail Kukushkin 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2; 9-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Guido Andreozzi 6-3, 6-4, 6-4; Mischa Zverev beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-0; 18-Pablo Cuevas beat Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-2, 0-6, 5-7, 6-3; Jan Satral beat Mackenzie McDonald 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; Federico Delbonis beat Brian Baker 3-6, 6-7 (6-8,) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2; 23-Kevin Anderson beat Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 7-5, 6-4; Marco Chiudinelli beat Guilherme Clezar 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2, 6-4.
