Men’s singles world No. 2 Andy Murray began his quest for a second US Open crown as he dispatched Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic in straight sets under the night sky of New York City on Tuesday. The Scotsman beat Rosol 6-3 6-2 6-2 to progress to the next round, where he will meet Spain’s Marcel Granollers.

After bagging the Wimbledon title and Olympic gold this year, Murray looks like the top contender to win the US Open after four years. He won the title back in 2012, which also happened to be his first Grand Slam title. Murray did not have to break a sweat as he won the match in under two hours and was on top of his serve throughout the match.

Del Porto powers on

Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Porto beat compatriot Diego Schwartzman 6-4 6-4 7-6(3) to book his place in the next round. Del Porto, who won silver at the Rio Olympics and beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on the way, is a wildcard entry at Flushing Meadows this time.

Stan the Man beats Verdasco

Swiss hope Stanislas Wawrinka beat Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in straight sets to begin quest for a third Grand Slam title. Wawrinka beat the hard-hitting Verdasco 7-6(4) 6-4 6-4 to make it to the next round. Wawrinka had to dig deep in the first set, which went to a tiebreaker. It was power hitting at its very best.

Nishikori gets past Becker 

Bronze medal winner at the Olympics, Japan’s Kei Nishikori beat Germany’s Benjamin Becker 6-1 6-1 3-6 6-3. Nishikori cruised past Becker in the first two sets, thrashing the German 6-1 6-1. However, a dip in form saw him drop the third set 3-6. But he eventually bagged the fourth with ease and progressed to the next round.

Thiem stretched by Millman 

Eighth seed Dominic Thiem would have hoped his first round encounter against Australia’s John Millman would be a breeze. However, the Austrian was stretched to five sets before eventually winning a thrilling match 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-4 6-3.

Karlovic sets US Open record with 61 aces

Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic hit 61 aces in his 4-6 7-6(4) 6-7(4) 7-6(5) 7-5 victory over Yen-hsun Lu of Taiwan. The six-foot-11-inch giant broke the previous record of 49, held by Richard Krajicek. In the second set alone, Karlovic smashed 22 aces, leaving Lu clueless of what to do.

Business as usual for Serena 

Top seed Serena Williams beat Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova 6-3 6-3 to begin her US Open campaign. Williams, who had a sore shoulder and was recuperating from injury, hit 12 aces to put in her quest for a record 23rd singles major title.

Ivanovic dumped out

Ana Ivanovic was knocked out of the US Open in the first round for the second straight year after she lost to Czech Republic’s Denisa Allertova in straight sets. Ivanovic, who struggled on serve throughout the match and succumbed to 41 unforced errors, lost 7-6(4) 6-1.

Venus begins on positive note

With her sister grabbing headlines, Venus Williams began her US Open run with a hard-fought three-set win over Ukraine’s Kateryna Kozlova. Williams beat the 22-year-old 6-2 5-7 6-4 in a match that lasted for two hours and 42 minutes.

Halep sends out a warning 

Fifth seed Simona Halep began her US Open campaign with an easy 6-0 6-2 against Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens. Halep will meet Lucie Safarova in round two and will fancy her chances of making the third round given her current form.