The men's singles formbook continued to be largely respected on day two of the U.S. Tennis Open in New York with second seed Andy Murray and fourth seed Novak Djokovic both cruising into the second round.
Murray, the runner-up to Roger Federer last year, was below his best, especially on serve, but still beat Latvia's Ernests Gulbis, in straight sets winning 7-5 6-3 7-5.
Despite the close score in a couple of sets Murray says he felt in control.
The Russian contingent of potential women's champions nearly lost its leading contender when top seed Dinara Safina narrowly avoided the humiliation of a first-round exit.
Safina, the world's top-ranked player, produced 48 unforced errors and 11 double faults before defeating Australian Olivia Rogowska 6-7 6-2 6-4.
Former world one Maria Sharapova had an easy 6-3 6-0 first up win as she works her way back into top form after taking nine months out with a shoulder injury, while there was also an easy win for sixth seed and former winner Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Out though is eleventh seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia.
