(CNN) -- World No. 1 Roger Federer began his bid for a record sixth U.S. Open title with a straight-sets victory over American Donald Young on Monday, joining Olympic champion Andy Murray in round two.
The Wimbledon champion, seeking to overtake Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors as the grand slam's most successful male player of the post-1967 Open era, won 6-3 6-2 6-4 against a player who reached the fourth round last year.
Young, ranked 81st, had no answer to Federer's delivery as the 31-year-old won all 18 of his first-serve points in the third set.
Federer, who next plays Germany's Bjorn Phau, won the tournament five years in a row from 2004. However, he lost in the 2009 final and the semis the following two years as Juan Martin del Potro, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic took the titles.
Jim Courier's U.S. Open tips
Can Murray win first tennis grand slam?
Tennis star launches candy line
CNN's Open Court show visited Rafael Nadal at his home island of Mallorca, where he was interviewed by Pedro Pinto.
At home with Rafael Nadal
"Novak to me goes in as the favorite here still at the Open just because he's defending champion, he probably won the most titles on hard courts in the last couple of years, it's where he feels most comfortable," Federer said of the Serbian, who was to start his campaign on Tuesday.
"He's beaten me the last couple years as well, so it's strange for me to be the favorite after just beating him a couple times. Then again, I've had a great summer and so has Murray, and Rafa won the French -- it's a pity he can't be here."
U.S. Open: Get the latest scores and match statistics
World No. 4 Murray booked his place into the next round with a 6-2 6-4 6-1 victory over Alex Bogomolov Jr following a two-hour rain delay.
Murray, seeded third in the absence of the injured Nadal, lost his opening game and trailed 3-1 in the second set but had few problems against the Russian.
"Only lost seven games in three sets, so I must have done something well today," said the Scot, who next faces Croatia's Ivan Dodig as he continues his bid for a first grand slam title, having lost the 2008 final to Federer.
"I played fairly well from the back of the court. I just would have liked to have served a bit better because I wasn't getting many free points on my serve."
The only seeded player to exit on Monday was Germany's No. 22 Florian Mayer, who retired hurt while trailing 6-3 6-2 3-2 to 243rd-ranked American Jack Sock.
Sock, who turns 20 next month, will next play Italy's Flavio Cipolla as he seeks to improve on last year's second-round exit.
Croatian 12th seed Marin Cilic earned a second-round clash with Germany's Daniel Brands, while France's No. 16 Gilles Simon beat American Michael Russell.
Japan's 17th seed Kei Nishikori also went through along with American No. 23 Mardy Fish, Spanish trio Marcel Granollers, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez plus France's Jeremy Chardy -- who beat Murray in Cincinnati this month before losing to Del Potro in the quarterfinals.
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Pinto also talked to Nadal's uncle Toni, who has coached the Spaniard since he was a young boy.
Despite his global appeal, Nadal says he's still trying to lose his shy side in front of the cameras.
Unlike many sports stars, Nadal has stayed close to his roots and not uprooted to more glamorous locales after becoming successful.
The tranquility of Mallorca is just one of the reasons that Rafa has stayed on the island, according to his uncle.
Toni Nadal is confident Rafa will bounce back after missing the Olympics and U.S. Open due to his ongoing knee problems.
|