Former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has cruised to a 6-3 6-2 victory over Julia Goerges of Germany in the first round of the U.S. tennis Open in New York.
The sixth seed, who won her second grand slam crown at the French Open in June, came from a break down in the first set to claim a comfortable win over the world number 92.
Goerges has won just one grand slam match but a shock looked possible when she won three successive games to lead by a break at 3-2.
But the Russian lifted her game to win eight straight games on her way to clinching a second-round meeting with Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand or Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia.
