Safarova joins seeds’ casualty list; Serena, Djoko on cruise mode

Lucie Safarova of Czech Republic leaves after her first-round loss to Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine at the US Open yesterday. (AFP)AFP/New YorkLucie Safarova joined the US Open seeds casualty list yesterday when the Czech left-hander became the fourth top-10 player to lose in the first round. Sixth-seeded Safarova slipped to a 6-4, 6-1 defeat to Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko, the woman she defeated in the semi-finals in New Haven just last week. “I talked with my coach about what to change. I changed the serve a little bit, made it a more active movement,” said the 26-year-old Tsurenko of the tweaks she made from last week’s clash with the Czech, who had also beaten her in New York in 2013. “I received pretty bad because she was a lefty. This time I was playing at the back more.” Safarova, the French Open runner-up, joins seventh seed Ana Ivanovic, eighth-ranked Karolina Pliskova and Carla Suarez Navarro, the 10th seed, in failing to get out of the first round. With world number three Maria Sharapova having pulled out of the tournament through injury, Safarova’s defeat also served to ease Serena Williams’s path to a calender Grand Slam. The world number one reached the second round on Monday when Vitalia Diatchenko retired with a foot injury after just 30 minutes. World number two Simona Halep avoided the upsets when she reached the second round thanks to New Zealand opponent Marina Erakovic retiring with a knee injury. Halep was leading 6-2, 3-0 when her 99th-ranked rival called it quits, having received a medical timeout for treatment on her right knee at the end of the first set. Romanian 23-year-old Halep goes on to face either Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine or Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan for a place in the last 32. “I had a good start. I was aggressive and played my best tennis today,” said Halep who has yet to get beyond the fourth round in New York. “I know I can play my best tennis here. I have no expectations. Serena is there. I just want to play my best tennis.” Another early winner yesterday was German 11th seed Angelique Kerber, a 2011 semi-finalist, who saw off Romania’s Alexandra Dulgheru 6-3, 6-1. Earlier on Monday, Novak Djokovic launched his US Open title bid in ruthless style, speeding past Joao Souza of Brazil 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 as if the Serb had a taxi meter running outside the National Tennis Center. Eighth seed Rafa Nadal, a two-time US Open champion, needed a bit more time to get the job done, the Spaniard taking nearly three hours to fight off a challenge from 18-year-old Croatian prospect Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. Following a Broadway-style opening ceremony complete with orchestra and choir, Williams stepped onto centre court under a spotlight to loud applause from an adoring New York crowd just seven matches from her quest to sweep this season’s slams. The six-time champion would exit Arthur Ashe Stadium just 30 minutes later to more applause and her target reduced to six more wins to join the exclusive club of calendar Grand Slam winners Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court and Steffi Graf. “It’s been really amazing, I can feel the support and the love on my journey for this milestone,” said Williams, who won the first of her 21 majors at Flushing Meadows 16 years ago. “I’m so ready. Whatever happens I’m here, I’m at home where it all began in 1999, so this is incredible for me to still be here and playing well. “It’s kind of awesome that this is the last grand slam of the year, because if it were in a different country, I think I would still love it but it’s not the same as being an American playing in New York, playing for that ultimate goal.” Croat Marin Cilic began the defence of his title with a 6-3, 7-6(3), 7-6(3) win over Argentine qualifier Guido Pella. Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic, one of just two players to beat Serena Williams this season, strolled past Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva to stay on track for a quarter-final showdown with the 33-year-old American.Results (Round 1)Men: Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt João Souza (BRA) 6-1, 6-1, 6-1; Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) bt Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (0/7), 6-0, 6-1; Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) bt Pablo Andújar (ESP) 7-6 (8/6), 0-6, 4-6, 6-4 - retired; Andreas Seppi (ITA x25) bt Tommy Paul (USA) 6-4, 6-0, 7-5; Roberto Bautista (ESP x23) bt Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (9/7); Pablo Carreño-Busta (ESP) bt Jerzy Janowicz (POL) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 Ricardas Berankis (LTU) bt João Sousa (POR) 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4); David Goffin (BEL x14) bt Simone Bolelli (ITA) 6-4, 6-1, 6-2; Milos Raonic (CAN x10) bt Tim Smyczek (USA) 6-4, 7-6 (10/8), 6-1; Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Tommy Haas (GER) 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-1; Mardy Fish (USA) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA) 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-1, 6-3; Feliciano Lopez (ESP x18) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, 6-3; Fabio Fognini (ITA x32) bt Steve Johnson (USA) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2); Pablo Cuevas (URU) bt Dudi Sela (ISR) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1; Diego Schwartzman (ARG) bt Elias Ymer (SWE) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; Rafael Nadal (ESP x8) bt Borna Coric (CRO) 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4; Benoît Paire (FRA) bt Kei Nishikori (JPN x4) 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4; Marsel Ilhan (TUR) bt Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-0, 2-6, 6-4, 3-2 - retired; Samuel Groth (AUS) bt Aleksandr Dolgopolov (UKR) 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 - retired; Tommy Robredo (ESP x26) bt Michael Berrer (GER) 6-2, 6-2, 6-4; Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x19) bt Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 6-3, 6-1, 6-1; Marcel Granollers (ESP) bt Lukás Lacko (SVK) 6-2, 6-3, 6-1; Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) bt John Millman (AUS) 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4; Illya Marchenko (UKR) bt Gael Monfils (FRA x16) 2-6, 6-4, 5-0 - retired; Marin Cilic (CRO x9) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3); Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) bt Lucas Pouille (FRA) 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-4; ikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) bt Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) 6-3, 6-3, 3-0 - retired;  Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x17) bt Matthew Ebden (AUS) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4; Jérémy Chardy (FRA x27) bt Ryan Shane (USA) 6-2, 6-1, 6-7 (6/8), 6-2; Martin Klizan (SVK) bt Florian Mayer (GER) 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3, 3-0 - retired; Filip Krajinovic (SRB) bt Alejandro González (COL) 6-4, 6-0, 6-4; David Ferrer (ESP x7) bt Radu Albot (MDA) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-0 Women: Serena Williams (USA) bt Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) 6-0, 2-0 - retired; Kiki Bertens (NED) bt Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2; Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) bt Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) 6-4, 6-3; Coco Vandeweghe (USA) bt Sloane Stephens (USA x29) 6-4, 6-3; Madison Keys (USA x19) bt Klara Koukalova (CZE) 6-2, 6-4; Tereza Smitková (CZE) bt Andreea Mitu (ROM) 7-6 (7/4), 6-2; Magda Linette (POL) bt Urszula Radwanska (POL) 7-6 (7/3), 6-1; Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x15) bt Katerina Siniakova (CZE) 6-2, 6-3; Belinda Bencic (SUI x12) bt Sesil Karatantcheva (BUL) 6-1, 6-2; Misaki Doi (JPN) bt Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 6-3, 6-3; Irina Falconi (USA) bt Samantha Crawford (USA) 6-4, 6-2; Venus Williams (USA x23) bt Mónica Puig (PUR) 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3; Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x31) bt Magdaléna Rybáriková (SVK) 6-4, 7-5; Anett Kontaveit (EST) bt Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 7-5, 6-2; Madison Brengle (USA) bt Zheng Saisai (CHN) 6-2, 5-7, 7-5; Anna Tatishvili (USA) bt Karolína Plísková (CZE x8) 6-2, 6-1; Darya Kasatkina (RUS) bt Daria Gavrilova (AUS) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5; Ana Konjuh (CRO) bt Tatjana Malek (GER) 6-4, 6-4 Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) bt Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) 6-2, 6-2; Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x30) 6-3, 7-5; Elina Svitolina (UKR x17) bt Elizaveta Kulichkova (RUS) 6-1, 6-4; Kaia Kanepi (EST) bt Anna-Lena Friedsam (GER) 6-1, 6-1; Lauren Davis (USA) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/0); Ekaterina Makarova (RUS x13) bt Teliana Pereira (BRA) 6-3, 6-3; Denisa Allertova (CZE) bt Carla Suárez (ESP x10) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5); Roberta Vinci (ITA) bt Vania King (USA) 6-4, 6-4; Mariana Duque (COL) bt Sofia Kenin (USA) 6-3, 6-1; Océane Dodin (FRA) bt Jelena Jankovic (SRB x21) 2-6, 7-5, 6-3; Eugénie Bouchard (CAN x25) bt Alison Riske (USA) 6-4, 6-3; Polona Hercog (SLO) bt Zarina Diyas (KAZ) 6-2, 7-5; Jessica Pegula (USA) bt Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) 7-5, 6-3; Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) bt Ana Ivanovic (SRB x7) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3