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Federer off to flying start

New York - Roger Federer began his campaign to win a record sixth US Open with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory on Monday over America's Donald Young, whose season of under-achievement hit another low.

Top seed Federer, playing in his 52nd consecutive Grand Slam tournament, brushed aside his 81st-ranked opponent, who only last week stopped a run of 17 defeats in a row but who now stands at three wins and 22 losses in 2012.

Federer, who won his 17th Grand Slam trophy courtesy of his seventh Wimbledon title in July, goes on to face German veteran Bjorn Phau for a place in the last 32.

The Swiss star's win was also the first step on his way to erasing the disappointment of 2011, when he squandered a two-sets-to-love lead and match points to lose to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.

"It hurt like crazy to lose like that, but Novak deserved the title. He was the man of the year," said Federer, whose win on Monday was also his 22nd in 22 night session outings at the US Open.

"But I played fantastic at Wimbledon and to come back here as world number one again is crazy. I'm the big favorite, so I hope to put up a great fight and continue to enjoy myself."

Federer won five titles in succession in New York from 2004 to 2008, but was runner-up to Juan Martin del Potro in 2009 before Rafael Nadal and Djokovic claimed the two most recent editions.

Young, meanwhile, will see his world ranking slump to around 120 next week as a consequence of his failure to match his best performance at a major, a run to the last 16 in 2011.

But Federer had words of encouragement for the defeated American.

"He's a great player, but maybe he needs to understand the tour more, about the grind of the outside courts," said the world No 1.

"But there's no way past the hard work, day in, day out."

Collated results after the first day of the US Open at Flushing Meadows on Monday (x denotes seeding):

Men

First round

Roger Federer (SWI x1) bt Donald Young (USA) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
Bjorn Phau (GER) bt Maxime Authom (BEL) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)
Albert Ramos (ESP) bt Robby Ginepri (USA) 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 6-4, 6-0
Fernando Verdasco (ESP x25) bt Rui Machado (POR) 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
Mardy Fish (USA x23) bt Go Soeda (JPN) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2), 6-3
Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
Gilles Simon (FRA x16) bt Michael Russell (USA) 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
Flavio Cipolla (ITA) bt Blaz Kavcic (SLO) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-3
Jack Sock (USA) bt Florian Mayer (GER x22) 6-3, 6-2, 3-2, retired
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) bt Somdev Devvarman (IND) 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
Jurgen Zopp (EST) bt Denis Istomin (UZB) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5
Andy Murray (GBR x3) bt Alex Bogomolov (RUS) 6-2, 6-4, 6-1
Ivan Dodig (CRO) bt Hiroki Moriya (JPN) 6-0, 6-1, 6-2
Feliciano Lopez (ESP x30) bt Robin Haase (NED) 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
Marcel Granollers (ESP x24) bt Denis Kudla (USA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2)
James Blake (USA) bt Lukas Lacko (SVK) 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) bt Igor Andreev (RUS) 2-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/4), 6-1
Marin Cilic (CRO x12) bt Marinko Matesevic (AUS) 5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
Daniel Brands (GER) bt Adrian Ungur (ROM) 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)
Tim Smyczek (USA) bt Bobby Reynolds (USA) 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Kei Nishikori (JPN x17) bt Guido Andreozzi (ARG) 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
Jeremy Chardy (FRA x32) bt Filippo Volandri (ITA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
Matthew Ebden (AUS) bt Tatsuma Ito (JPN) 7-6 (11/9), 6-3, 6-2

Women

First round


Victoria Azarenka (BLR x1) bt Alexandra Panova (RUS) 6-0, 6-1
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) bt Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) bt Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
Zheng Jie (CHN x28) bt Virginie Razzano (FRA) 4-6, 6-2 - retired
Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) bt Julia Goerges (GER x18) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1
Mandy Minella (LUX) bt Olivia Rogowska (AUS) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
Anna Tatishvili (GEO) bt Stphanie Foretz (FRA) 6-2, 6-0
Sorana Cirstea (ROM) bt Sabine Lisicki (GER x16) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Li Na (CHN x9) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 6-2, 6-3
Casey Dellacqua (AUS) bt Lesya Tsurenko (UKR) 6-2, 6-3
Laura Robson (GBR) bt Samantha Crawford (USA) 6-3, 7-6 (8/6)
Kim Clijsters (BEL x23) bt Victoria Duval (USA) 6-3, 6-1
Varvara Lepchenko (USA x31) bt Mathilde Johansson (FRA) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) bt Julia Cohen (USA) 6-3, 6-0
Edina Gallovits (ROM) bt Stefanie Vogele (SUI) 7-5, 6-4
Samantha Stosur (AUS x7) bt Petra Martic (CRO) 6-1, 6-1
Maria Sharapova (RUS x3) bt Melinda Czink (HUN) 6-2, 6-2
Lourdes Dominguez (ESP) bt Sesil Karatantcheva (KAZ) 6-4, 6-1
Mallory Burdette (USA) bt Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 6-4, 6-3
Lucie Hradecka (CZE) bt Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP x27) 6-3, 6-3
Nadia Petrova (RUS x19) bt Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)
Simona Halep (ROM) bt Iveta Benesova (CZE) 7-5, 7-6 (7/5)
Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) bt Alexandra Cadantu (ROM) 6-0, 6-3
Lucie Safarova (CZE x15) bt Melanie Oudin (USA) 6-4, 6-0
Marion Bartoli (FRA x11) bt Jamie Hampton (USA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)
Romina Oprandi (SUI) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 6-2, 7-5
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) bt Marina Erakovic (NZL) 7-5, 6-4
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x17) bt Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 6-4, 7-6 (7/1)
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL x25) bt Julia Glushko (ISR) 7-5, 6-2
Pauline Parmentier (FRA) bt Michaella Krajicek (NED) 6-2, 6-4
Alice Cornet (FRA) bt Nicole Gibbs (USA) 7-5, 6-3
Petra Kvitova (CZE x5) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 7-6 (8/6), 6-1
 
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