There was a time when a pilots' strike during the US Open would have been greeted with unanimous and unconfined joy, for the flight path into or out of La Guardia airport is directly above the tennis courts of Flushing Meadow.

But a few years ago the former mayor, David Dinkins, a keen tennis fan, pulled off a sharp political coup when he managed to force the airline authorities, by way of stiff fines, to re-route their planes during the tournament.

So the current Northwest airlines strike did not have any marked effect on the noise levels yesterday except, perhaps, for such tender flowers as Croatia's Goran Ivanisevic who can be put off his game by the rustle of a crane-fly's wings.

Apart from his semi-final appearance two years ago, America has singularly failed to see the best of Ivanisevic. He has never won a title in the United States, and just over a week ago blew another chance when he was beaten by Slovakia's Karol Kucera in the final of the New Haven tournament.

His opponent yesterday, Australia's 32-year-old doubles specialist, Mark Woodforde, appeared just the sort of player likely to give Ivanisevic the maximum of trouble but on a pleasantly clear late summer's day, with a refreshing breeze sweeping away the overnight humidity, the Croatian displayed indomitable form to win in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

So the seemingly impervious gloom which had descended upon Ivanisevic after he lost this year's Wimbledon final to Pete Sampras has lifted, although there were few prepared to suggest that the light was now sufficiently intense to guide him to his first Grand Slam title. New York would probably need to be completely silent for a whole fortnight.

Woodforde has never been Ivanisevic's best friend, and yesterday delivered a smash into the Croatia's back. "All he has is a serve," said the Australian disparagingly after the match to which Ivanisevic replied: "I think it is time for him to retire in singles. He is pretty old, he can't move. If I have son, I just show a picture of Woodforde and (say) you can't play tennis like him."

Ivanisevic is still haunted by his failure at Wimbledon. "Even now, when I think about it, sometimes when I'm alone, I think `Jesus.' When I practise I think `Why didn't I hit like that when I had two set points?' I try not to think about it. But the pictures keep coming back."

Meanwhile, Sampras began the pursuit of his record-tying 12th Grand Slam singles title by beating Germany's Marc Goellner 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Sampras, seeking his fifth US Open crown, is within one of matching Roy Emerson's all-time Slam singles record.

Sampras also wants to finish the year ranked number one for an unprecedented sixth time in a row. Sampras served 11 aces, the fastest at 131 mph, to dispatch Goellner in 84 minutes at the Arthur Ashe Stadium where, Sampras said, the hardcourt surface was as fast as he had ever seen it.

Women's world number one Martina Hingis, who has not won a WTA title since the Italian Open in early May, began the defence of her US Open crown by beating 139th ranked Polish qualifier Aleksandra Olsza, 6-2, 6-0, in 59 minutes.