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New York - Maria Sharapova shattered the fairytale return of 39-year-old Patty Schnyder at the US Open on Tuesday, winning a roller-coaster first round clash 6-2, 7-6 (8/6).
Schnyder, the oldest ever player to make the main draw of a Grand Slam via qualifying, was outgunned by the five-time major champion in the first set and for the majority of the second.
However, she bravely battled back from 1-5 down to 6-6, showing the sort of ability and court-craft which won her 11 titles and once took her to seven in the world rankings.
She even saved three match points in the tiebreaker before Sharapova's 23rd winner of the night sealed victory shortly before midnight.
"My average match against her is like two hours and 20 minutes so I knew I was in for a battle no matter what my story is or hers," said Sharapova who is now 21-0 in US Open nigh sessions.
"I knew we'd go out and relive the battles against each other.
"I know what a competitor she is and to come back on the tour is very admirable."
Left-hander Schnyder made her US Open bow in 1997, the year of the deaths of Princess Diana in Paris and Mother Teresa in Kolkata.
It was the year that Mike Tyson infamously nibbled on Evander Holyfield's ear while Twitter was still nine years away.
Schnyder made the quarter-finals in New York in 1998 and 2008 before retiring in 2011.
Tuesday's match was her first main draw appearance at the US Open since 2010 and her first against Sharapova in a decade.
Understandably there were a few nerves on both sides.
Sharapova, the 2006 US Open champion, served up three double faults in the first game with the opening four games of the contest all breaks of serve.
The Russian 22nd seed steadied the ship with two more breaks, pocketing the first set with Schnyder losing all four of her service games and failing to hit a single winner.
Schnyder finally held serve for 1-1 in the second set before retrieving the breaks to get to 5-5.
Sharapova will face Romania's Sorana Cirstea for a place in the last 32.
US Open results on Tuesday, the second day of the 2018 tournament at Flushing Meadows (x denotes seeded player):
Men
First round
Marin Cilic (CRO x7) bt Marius Copil (ROM) 7-5, 6-1, 1-1 - retired
Hubert Hurkacz (POL) bt Stefano Travaglia (ITA) 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (8/6), 3-0 - retired
Alex De Minaur (AUS) bt Taro Daniel (JPN) 6-0, 6-1, 6-2
Frances Tiafoe (USA) bt Adrian Mannarino (FRA x29) 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA x22) 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-4
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Tim Smyczek (USA) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-3
Robin Haase (NED) bt Mackenzie McDonald (USA) 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3
David Goffin (BEL x10) bt Federico Gaio (ITA) 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)
Diego Schwartzman (ARG x13) bt Federico Delbonis (ARG) 6-2, 7-6 (8/6), 6-2
Jaume Munar (ESP) bt Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-1
Gael Monfils (FRA) bt Facundo Bagnis (ARG) 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-0, 6-0
Kei Nishikori (JPN x21) bt Maximilian Marterer (GER) 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
Matthew Ebden (AUS) bt Filip Krajinovic (SRB x32) 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (5/7), 4-6, 6-1, 4-1 - retired
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) bt Yannick Hanfmann (GER) 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
Nicolas Mahut (FRA) bt Corentin Moutet (FRA) 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
Alexander Zverev (GER x4) bt Peter Polansky (CAN) 6-2, 6-1, 6-2
Novak Djokovic (SRB x6) bt Marton Fucsovics (HUN) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0
Tennys Sandgren (USA) bt Viktor Troicki (SRB) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Laslo Djere (SRB) bt Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 2-1 - retired
Richard Gasquet (FRA x26) bt Yuichi Sugita (JPN) 6-3, 6-1, 6-3
Lucas Pouille (FRA x17) bt Yannick Maden (GER) 7-6 (8/6), 6-2, 7-5
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) bt Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 3-1 - retired
Joao Sousa (POR) bt Marcel Granollers (ESP) 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
Pablo Carreno-Busta (ESP x12) bt Malek Jaziri (TUN) 7-5, 6-2, 6-2
Fabio Fognini (ITA x14) bt Michael Mmoh (USA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4)
John Millman (AUS) bt Jenson Brooksby (USA) 6-4, 6-2, 6-0
Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) bt Noah Rubin (USA) 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3)
Chung Hyeon (KOR x23) bt Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-0, 2-0 - retired
Nick Kyrgios (AUS x30) bt Radu Albot (MDA) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) bt Yuki Bhambri (IND) 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5
Benoit Paire (FRA) bt Dennis Novak (AUT) 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/5)
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 6-2, 6-2, 6-4
Women
First round
Caroline Garcia (FRA x6) bt Johanna Konta (GBR) 6-2, 6-2
Monica Puig (PUR) bt Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 6-0, 6-0
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) bt Tamara Zidansek (SLO) 6-0, 6-3
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP x30) bt Nicole Gibbs (USA) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
Maria Sharapova (RUS x22) bt Patty Schnyder (SUI) 6-2, 7-6 (8/6)
Sorana Cirstea (ROU) bt Alison Riske (USA) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
Taylor Townsend (USA) bt Amanda Anisimova (USA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x10) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
Madison Keys (USA x14) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 6-4, 6-4
Bernarda Pera (USA) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 7-6 (8/6), 6-4
Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) bt Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 6-2, 3-6, 6-0
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) bt CoCo Vandeweghe (USA x24) 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x29) bt Arantxa Rus (NED) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) bt Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Johanna Larsson (SWE) bt Alize Cornet (FRA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Angelique Kerber (GER x4) bt Margarita Gasparyan (RUS) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3
Petra Kvitova (CZE x5) bt Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 6-1, 6-4
Wang Yafan (CHN) bt Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
Vera Zvonareva (RUS) bt Anna Blinkova (RUS) 6-2, 6-7 (6/8), 7-5
Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x26) bt Danielle Collins (USA) 6-0, 4-6, 6-4
Naomi Osaka (JPN x20) bt Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-3, 6-2
Julia Glushko (ISR) bt Monica Niculescu (ROU) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) bt Belinda Bencic (SUI) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2
Darya Kasatkina (RUS x11) bt Timea Babos (HUN) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
Kiki Bertens (NED x13) bt Kristyna Plyskova (CZE) 6-0, 7-5
Francesca Di Lorenzo (USA) bt Christina McHale (USA) 6-1, 7-6 (7/1)
Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) bt Harmony Tan (FRA) 6-3, 6-1
Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) bt Mona Barthel (GER) 6-1, 6-4
Katerina Siniakova (CZE) bt Anett Kontaveit (EST x28) 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 7-5
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) bt Lizette Cabrera (AUS) 6-4, 6-1
Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) bt Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) 6-3, 6-2
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x2) bt Samantha Stosur (AUS) 6-3, 6-2
