Former champions Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova won their respective matches in the first day of the U.S Open Grand Slam.
Djokovic, who had won only two matches in the hard court run-up to the season’s final grand slam after getting married just days after his Wimbledon triumph, was back to his best once again.
The 2011 champion treated his first-round match against unseeded 22-year-old Argentine Diego Schwartzman as a mere practice match, dominating in all phases with 24 winners including seven aces in a 6-1 6-2 6-4 rout.
A text book finish by French Open champion and 2006 winner Sharapova, as the fifth seed won 10 straight games to prevail 6-4 6-0 after falling 2-4 behind against her Russian compatriot and old friend Maria Kirilenko.
Despite the night program starting one hour later than scheduled due to ceremonies featuring bands, speeches and fireworks, Djokovic enabled the New York night crowd to head to the exits shortly before the stroke of midnight.
