Nadal cruises into 2nd round

New York - Rafael Nadal took his 2013 hardcourt record to 16-0 to reach the US Open second round on Monday while Serena and Venus Williams also breezed through.

Nadal, the second-seeded 2010 champion who watched the 2012 US Open from his home in Spain as he endured a seven-month injury layoff, cruised to a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win over American wildcard Ryan Harrison.

The 27-year-old Spaniard has captured nine trophies since his return from injury in February, building up a 54-3 record in the process, and he came into New York having won back-to-back Masters titles at Montreal and Cincinnati, comfortably erasing his shock first-round exit at Wimbledon.

"It's a special emotion to be back in New York. It's a special atmosphere," said Nadal, who next tackles either Canada's Vasek Pospisil or Brazilian qualifier Rogerio Dutra Silva.

"I was nervous before the start, but I hope to have these nerves again in the future if it means I win."

Defending women's champion Serena Williams, a four-time winner, needed just an hour to see off Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone, 6-0, 6-1.

The top seed fired 13 winners and broke the former French Open champion six times on her way to a second round match-up against Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva.

"I'm really excited," Williams said. "I knew playing a former Grand Slam champion the first round was a tough draw so I just tried to be super serious."

Venus Williams, the back-to-back champion in 2000 and 2001 and the oldest woman left in the draw at 33, started her 15th US Open with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Belgian 12th seed Kirsten Flipkens, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon.

Williams, now ranked 60 in the world, next faces China's Zheng Jie after avenging a loss to Flipkens at Toronto earlier this month.

"It's just good to be here, see familiar faces since my first time in 1997 with the beads and the braces," said Williams, after firing 21 winners and who dyed her hair purple for the occasion.

Spanish men's fourth seed David Ferrer, a semi-finalist in 2007 and 2012, defeated teenage Australian qualifier Nick Kyrgios, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 and next plays compatriot Roberto Bautista.

British qualifier Daniel Evans, the world number 179, stunned Japanese 11th seed Kei Nishikori, the biggest casualty of the opening day, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Nishikori, who made the third round last year, committed 38 unforced errors.

The 23-year-old Evans had never won a main draw match at the Grand Slams until Monday and his reward is a second-round clash against Australia's Bernard Tomic, who needed five sets to see off Albert Ramos of Spain.

Monday's win guaranteed Evans at least $53,000 -- $10,000 more than he has made in all of 2013 so far.

"I really want to be top 100, so that's when the money will start to come in, is when I'm top 100 consistently," said Evans.

"It is an added bonus. But it would be a bit strange if I was just thinking about the money after I've just beat the 11th seed."

Fernando Verdasco, the 27th-ranked Spaniard, was beaten by Croatia's Ivan Dodig 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3.

Latvian 30th seed Ernests Gulbis also went out, losing 3-6, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 to Austria's Andreas Haider-Maurer.

Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska, who has never got beyond the last-16, eased past Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-1, 6-2 and next faces another Spaniard, Maria Teresa Torro-Flor.

Chinese fifth seed Li Na also reached the second round with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Olga Govortsova of Belarus.

Li, a quarter-finalist in 2009, next plays Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden.

Britain's Laura Robson, the first British woman to be seeded at a major for 26 years, won nine games in succession to beat Spanish veteran Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 7-5, 6-0.

The 30th seed, who ended Kim Clijsters' career in New York 12 months ago on her way to the last 16, next faces France's Caroline Garcia.

There was also an emotional win for Russia's Alisa Kleybanova with the former world number 20 beating Monica Puig of Puerto Rico, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, in her first match at a major since beating cancer.

Later Monday, Roger Federer, the former five-time champion and seeded a lowly seventh this year, takes on Slovenia's Grega Zemjla.

Men

1st rd

Richard Gasquet (FRA x8) bt Michael Russell (USA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

Stephane Robert (FRA) bt Albano Olivetti (FRA) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4

Guillaume Rufin (FRA) bt Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 6-1

Dmitry Tursunov (RUS x32) bt Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0

Feliciano Lopez (ESP x23) bt Florent Serra (FRA) 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-3, 6-3

Bradley Klahn (USA) bt Kenny De Schepper (FRA) 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 7-6 (7/0), 7-6 (7/4)

Dudi Sela (ISR) bt Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 5-7, 6-4

Janko Tipsarevic (SRB x18) bt Pablo Cuevas (URU) 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 - retired

Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) bt Ernests Gulbis (LAT x30) 3-6, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4

Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) bt Andrej Martin (SVK) 6-4, 7-6 (7/2), 7-5

Roberto Bautista (ESP) bt Thomaz Belluci (BRA) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

David Ferrer (ESP x4) bt Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 7-5, 6-3, 6-2

Tommy Robredo (ESP x19) bt Marinko Matosevic (AUS) 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-2

Frank Dancevic (CAN) bt Robin Haase (NED) 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3)

Bernard Tomic (AUS) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3

Daniel Evans (GBR) bt Kei Nishikori (JPN x11) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

Ivan Dodig (CRO) bt Fernando Verdasco (ESP x27) 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3

Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) bt Rhyne Williams (USA) 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5, 6-0

Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Ryan Harrison (USA) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2

Women

1st rd

Serena Williams (USA x1) bt Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 6-0, 6-1

Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) bt Monica Niculescu (ROM) 6-4, 6-3

Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) bt Olga Puchkova (RUS) 6-1, 6-0

Patricia Mayr (AUT) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK x29) 7-6 (7/2), 6-3

Jamie Hampton (USA x23) bt Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) 6-4, 6-2

Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) bt Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 6-1, 1-6, 6-1

Urszula Radwanska (POL) bt Irina Begu (ROM) 6-1, 6-3

Sloane Stephens (USA x15) bt Mandy Minella (LUX) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)

Venus Williams (USA) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL x12) 6-1, 6-2

Zheng Jie (CHN) bt Kiki Bertens (NED) 6-1, 6-3

Coco Vandeweghe (USA) bt Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)

Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP x18) bt Lauren Davis (USA) 6-0, 6-0

Kaia Kanepi (EST x25) bt Vania King (USA) 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) bt Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7/4)

Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) bt Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5

Angelique Kerber (GER x8) bt Lucie Hradeck (CZE) 6-1, 6-1

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x3) bt Silvia Soler Espinosa (ESP) 6-1, 6-2

Maria Teresa Torro Flor (ESP) bt Marina Erakovic (NZL) 6-0, 6-4

Ashleigh Barty (AUS) bt Estrella Cabeza (ESP) 6-1, 6-4

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x32) bt Virginie Razzano (FRA) 7-5, 6-0

Ekaterina Makarova (RUS x24) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 6-2, 6-4

Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) bt Mathilde Johansson (FRA) 6-3, 6-1

Paula Ormaechea (ARG) bt Kimiko Date Krumm (JPN) 6-3, 7-6 (9/7)

Sabine Lisicki (GER x16) bt Vera Dushevina (RUS) 6-2, 7-6 (7/3)

Jelena Jankovic (SRB x9) bt Madison Keys (USA) 6-3, 6-4

Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) bt Mnica Puig (PUR) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5

Kurumi Nara (JPN) bt Alexandra Cadantu (ROM) 6-2, 6-2

Sorana Cirstea (ROM x19) bt Sharon Fichman (CAN) 7-5, 5-7, 6-1

Laura Robson (GBR x30) bt Lourdes Domnguez (ESP) 7-5, 6-0

Caroline Garcia (FRA) bt Shelby Rogers (USA) 6-3, 6-2

Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) bt Petra Cetkovsk (CZE) 1-6, 6-4, 6-1

Li Na (CHN x5) bt Olga Govortsova (BLR) 6-2, 6-2