Tennis: Roger Federer has enjoyed another comfortable victory to secure his place in the third round of the US Open at Flushing Meadows. The Swiss ensured the high temperatures in New York did not cause him any concern by taking just one hour 41 minutes to beat Germany's Andreas Beck 6-3 6-4 6-3 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The world number two, seeking to reach a seventh straight US Open final, raced into a 5-0 lead in the opening set against his 24-year-old opponent.
And although the left-hander hit back to take the next three games, Federer re-asserted his authority to close out the set by holding serve to love.
A single break of serve was enough for Federer to take the second set as well, the 16-time grand slam winner closing it out with an ace.
And the 29-year-old broke Beck twice more in the third set to complete a routine win which improves his US Open record to 53-5.
Federer won the title five years in succession before losing to Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro in last year's final. Del Potro has been unable to defend his title due to injury.
France's Richard Gasquet produced a superb performance to send sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko crashing out of the tournament.
Gasquet, who won the junior title in 2002, claimed his first grand slam win of the year in the first round after early exits in Australia and Paris and missing Wimbledon with a rib injury.
And the enigmatic 24-year-old carried on where he had left off against Germany's Simon Greul, dismissing Davydenko by the same scoreline of 6-3 6-4 6-2.
Davydenko, who missed 11 weeks of the season after breaking his wrist in March, is the highest seed to fall in New York so far, joining seventh seed Tomas Berdych and ninth seed Andy Roddick in making an early exit.