Tennis - US Open: Roger Federer opened his bid for a sixth successive US Open title by overwhelming teenage wildcard Devin Britton 6-1 6-3 7-5 in their first-round match at Flushing Meadows.
Federer needed only 18 minutes to win the first set against Britton, an 18-year-old American who won the 2009 NCAA singles title as a freshman and is ranked number 1,370 in the world.
Britton settled down in the final two sets but could not cope with the punishing groundstrokes from the top-seeded Federer, who is seeking a record 16th grand slam crown.
The 28-year-old Federer broke Britton's serve to close out the one hour, 28-minute match under sunny skies and unseasonably cool weather at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Earlier, former world number one Kim Clijsters, playing in just her third tournament following a two year maternity break, made a winning return to grand-slam tennis with a 6-1 6-1 win over Viktoriya Kutuzova.
Clijsters and Federer were just two of five U.S. Open champions gracing the Arthur Ashe Court on a blockbuster opening day of the hardcourt major.
Following them on to the arena were 2008 women's winner Serena Williams, her potential semi-final opponent and twice former champion Venus Williams and 2003 titlist Andy Roddick.
Before the American sisters took their places under the spotlight, Clijsters showed that she too could be challenging for the trophy despite playing in only her third tournament this year.
Crediting part of her fitness to "chasing around after (18-month-old daughter) Jada" she gave the hapless Kutuzova the run around with her solid groundstrokes to set up a re-match with Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli, whom she beat in her comeback match at Cincinnati earlier this month.
"(I was) a little more nervous than usual," Clijsters, dressed for the occasion in a red, white and blue outfit, said after returning to Flushing Meadows for the first time since winning her only grand slam title here in 2005.
"Driving up here this morning, just seeing the court, the memories came back. It's a very special court to me and I really enjoyed it."
Those sentiments were shared by Federer, who is not only looking to extend his record grand slam haul to 16 but is also eager to match Bill Tilden's 1920s feat of winning six US championships in a row.
Despite being a new father, the Swiss world number one made no allowances for a 1,370th-ranked opponent playing only his second tour-level match at the tender age of 18.
Playing before a crowd of 23,000, the American wildcard suffered a bad case of stage fright in the opening set as he saw it flash by his eyes in 18 minutes.
He recovered slightly in the next two sets and even had the audacity to break the Federer serve twice in the next two sets but that was where his bragging rights ended.
Joining him at the exit was Japan's Ai Sugiyama, whose record 62nd consecutive appearance in a grand slam ended with a 6-4 4-6 6-4 defeat by Australian 15th seed Samantha Stosur.
Seeds Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, Robin Soderling, the French Open runner-up, and Spaniard Tommy Robredo all safely negotiated their way into round two.
Men's Singles 1st rd: (1) Roger Federer (Swi) bt Devin Britton (USA) 6-1 6-3 7-5, Simon Greul (Ger) bt Giovanni Lapentti (Ecu) 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-0 7-6 (11-9), Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spa) bt Peter Polansky (Can) 6-4 6-4 5-7 3-6 6-1, (14) Tommy Robredo (Spa) bt Donald Young (USA) 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-3, (12) Robin Soderling (Swe) bt Albert Montanes (Spa) 6-1 3-6 6-1 6-4, Marcel Granollers (Spa) bt Mischa Zverev (Ger) 2-6 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-0, Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) bt (26) Paul-Henri Mathieu (Fra) 2-6 7-5 6-0 6-2, Marco Chiudinelli (Swi) bt Potito Starace (Ita) 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) 6-0, Jan Hernych (Cze) bt Rainer Schuettler (Ger) 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 2-6 6-3, (8) Nikolay Davydenko (Rus) bt Dieter Kindlmann (Ger) 6-3 6-4 7-5, John Isner (USA) bt (28) Victor Hanescu (Rom) 6-1 7-6 (16-14) 7-6 (7-5)
Women's Singles 1st rd: (8) Victoria Azarenka (Blr) bt Alexandra Dulgheru (Rom) 6-1 6-1, Stefanie Voegele (Swi) bt Alberta Brianti (Ita) 6-7 (10-12) 6-1 6-3, (26) Francesca Schiavone (Ita) bt Yvonne Meusburger (Aut) 6-1 6-2, Maria Kirilenko (Rus) bt Mariya Koryttseva (Ukr) 6-2 6-1, (12) Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol) bt Patricia Mayr (Aut) 6-1 6-2, (14) Marion Bartoli (Fra) bt Rossana De Los Rios (Par) 6-1 6-0, Kim Clijsters (Bel) bt Viktoriya Kutuzova (Ukr) 6-1 6-1, Aleksandra Wozniak (Can) bt Laura Granville (USA) 6-1 7-6 (9-7), (15) Samantha Stosur (Aus) bt Ai Sugiyama (Jpn) 6-4 4-6 6-4, Vania King (USA) bt Anastasiya Yakimova (Blr) 2-1 ret