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Venus scrambles into second round

New York - Venus Williams battled into the second round of the US Open on Tuesday, grabbing a slice of Grand Slam history along the way with her 72nd main draw appearance in a major.

On the same day that younger sister Serena was due to launch her bid for a record seventh US Open title - and a record-setting 23rd Grand Slam crown - the elder Williams broke the Open Era mark she had shared with Amy Frazier for most Grand Slams contested.

The 36-year-old Venus, enjoying something of a resurgence in a 2016 season that includes a WTA title in Taiwan, survived 63 unforced errors in a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over 22-year-old Ukrainian Kateryna Kozlova, who has risen more than 80 spots in the world rankings since February to her current number 93.

"The errors told the story today," said Williams, whose aggressive game also produced 46 winners. "I'm going to try to change that for the second round."

The match closed out the afternoon action on the Arthur Ashe stadium court, setting the stage for a blockbuster night that included Serena's first-round clash with Russian veteran Ekaterina Makarova and second-seeded Andy Murray taking on Czech Lukas Rosol.

Serena's Wimbledon triumph in July saw her equal Steffi Graf's Open Era record of 22 major titles.

She has won four of five encounters with Makarova, including two US Open matches against the Russian left-hander.

Murray is bidding to become the fourth man in the Open Era to reach all four major finals in a calendar year.

Since capturing his second Wimbledon title Murray has gone on to defend his Olympic gold in Rio.

Murray has downplayed any grudge match aspect to his clash with Rosol, who provoked an angry outburst from the Briton when they met in the quarter-finals at Munich last year.

In other early matches, third-seeded Swiss Stan Wawrinka, a two-time semi-finalist, reached the second round with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-4 win over Spain's Fernando Verdasco.

"I'm really happy," Wawrinka said after evening his career record against Verdasco at three wins apiece.

"Fernando is a tough player to play. He can be really aggressive. He doesn't give you so much rhythm, so it's not easy."

Kei Nishikori, who became Asia's first men's Grand Slam finalist in New York in 2014, when he fell to Marin Cilic in the final, also advanced, downing German Benjamin Becker 6-1, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

"It was a great feeling of course," said Nishikori, whose breakthrough run in 2014 was followed by an abrupt first-round exit last year.

"I have great memories here and I always love coming back to New York."

Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, advanced with a 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) victory over fellow Argentine Diego Schwartzman.

The 27-year-old del Potro, almost pushed into retirement by three wrist surgeries, is back at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2013, earning a wild card invitation with a stirring run to an Olympic silver medal.

Women's fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, trying to make it to the quarter-finals in New York for the first time, takes on American qualifier Jessica Pegula.

Fifth-seeded Romanian Simona Halep survived late jitters to make it safely into the second round with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Belgian Kirsten Flipkens.

Halep needed less than an hour, but admitted she was "too nervous to finish the match" after failing to take advantage of her first chance to close it out when leading 6-0, 5-0.

The late wobble, in front of a crowd that included compatriot Nadia Comeneci - the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 - had Halep rating her own performance "less than nine".

Results from the second day of the 2016 US Open tennis championships at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday (x denotes seeded player):

Men

First round

Dominic Thiem (AUT x8) bt John Millman (AUS) 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3

Ricardas Berankis (LTU) bt Malek Jaziri (TUN) 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-2

Pablo Carreno-Busta (ESP) bt Ilya Ivashka (BLR) 6-0, 7-5, 6-2

Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) bt Sam Querrey (USA x29) 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (0/7), 6-3, 6-3

Steve Johnson (USA x19) bt Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) 4-6, 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-3

Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) bt Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)

Fabio Fognini (ITA) bt Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) 6-7 (9/11), 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5, 6-4

David Ferrer (ESP x11) bt Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) 6-5 - retired

Nick Kyrgios (AUS x14) bt Aljaz Bedene (GBR) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4

Horacio Zeballos (ARG) bt Florian Mayer (GER) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (9/7)

Illya Marchenko (UKR) bt Ivan Dodig (CRO) 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 7-5

Damir Dzumhur (BIH) bt Bernard Tomic (AUS x17) 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/0)

Alexander Zverev (GER x27) bt Daniel Brands (GER) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4)

Daniel Evans (GBR) bt Rajeev Ram (USA) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1

Alessandro Giannessi (ITA) bt Denis Kudla (USA) 0-6, 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-0

Stan Wawrinka (SUI x3) bt Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-4

Kei Nishikori (JPN x6) bt Benjamin Becker (GER) 6-1, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3

Karen Khachanov (RUS) bt Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3

Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) bt Christian Harrison (USA) 6-0, 6-2, 6-1

Nicolas Mahut (FRA) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x25) 6-3, 7-5, 1-0 - retired

Ivo Karlovic (CRO x21) bt Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5), 7-5

Donald Young (USA) bt Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5

Viktor Troicki (SRB) bt Radu Albot (MDA) 5-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)

Jared Donaldson (USA) bt David Goffin (BEL x12) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-0

Feliciano Lopez (ESP x16) bt Borna Coric (CRO) 3-4 - retired

Joao Sousa (POR) bt Victor Estrella (DOM) 6-0, 6-1, 6-1

Jeremy Chardy (FRA) bt Michael Mmoh (USA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-1

Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x22) bt Inigo Cervantes (ESP) 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (9/7)

Gilles Simon (FRA x30) bt Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-3, 6-1, 6-4

Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) bt Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 6-4, 6-2, 6-1

Marcel Granollers (ESP) bt Juan Monaco (ARG) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4

Andy Murray (GBR x2) bt Lukas Rosol (CZE) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

Women

First round

Serena Williams (USA x1) bt Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 6-3, 6-3

Vania King (USA) bt Antonia Lottner (GER) 7-6 (7/2), 6-3

Johanna Larsson (SWE) bt Karin Knapp (ITA) 6-4, 6-2

Denisa Allertov (CZE) bt Ana Ivanovic (SRB x29) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1

Wang Qiang (CHN) bt Darya Kasatkina (RUS x23) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2

Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) bt Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) 6-2, 6-3

Zhang Shuai (CHN) bt Ellen Perez (AUS) 6-1, 6-1

Samantha Stosur (AUS x16) bt Camila Giorgi (ITA) 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1

Carla Suarez (ESP x11) bt Teliana Pereira (BRA) 6-0, 6-0

Jelena Jankovic (SRB) bt Mariana Duque (COL) 6-4, 6-1

Annika Beck (GER) bt Nadia Podoroska (ARG) 7-6 (8/6), 6-3

Elena Vesnina (RUS x19) bt Anett Kontaveit (EST) 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-3

Timea Babos (HUN x31) bt Barbara Haas (AUT) 5-7, 6-3, 7-5

Richel Hogenkamp (NED) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 6-2, 7-5

Lucie Safarova (CZE) bt Daria Gavrilova (AUS) 6-4, 6-4

Simona Halep (ROM x5) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-0, 6-2

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x4) bt Jessica Pegula (USA) 6-1, 6-1

Naomi Broady (GBR) bt Laura Robson (GBR) 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-4

Katerina Siniakov (CZE) bt Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2

Caroline Garcia (FRA x25) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

Ana Konjuh (CRO) bt Kiki Bertens (NED x20) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4

Kurumi Nara (JPN) bt Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 6-0, 7-5

Varvara Lepchenko (USA) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 4-6, 7-6 (11/9), 6-3

Timea Bacsinszky (SUI x15) bt Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) 6-1, 6-1

Karolina Pliskova (CZE x10) bt Sofia Kenin (USA) 6-4, 6-3

Montserrat Gonzalez (PAR) bt Danka Kovinic (MNE) 7-5, 6-2

Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) bt Nao Hibino (JPN) 6-4, 7-5

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x17) bt Louisa Chirico (USA) 6-1, 6-4

Laura Siegemund (GER x26) bt Patricia Tig (ROM) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Nicole Gibbs (USA) bt Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 6-1, 6-0

Julia Gerges (GER) bt Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 6-3, 6-2

Venus Williams (USA x6) bt Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) 6-2, 5-7, 6-4

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