Federer, Wozniacki, Halep secure easy wins
NEW YORK – After a Monday rife with upsets, the second day of the U.S. Open seemed rather tame. There was little energy in the air, and even less on the courts as the top seeds walked right through to the second round.
No. 2 Simona Halep was the first to advance, moving on after Marina Erakovic retired in the second set of their morning match. Halep led 6-2, 3-0. Strangely enough, that means the top two women's seeds advanced without playing a full match.
No. 4 Caroline Wozniacki came next on Arthur Ashe. She defeated American Jamie Loeb, 6-2, 6-0. That cleared the way for Roger Federer and Leonardo Mayer of Argentina.
Federer absolutely dominated, earning a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win on the strength of 12 aces. He won 84 percent of first-serve points and six of nine break-point opportunities. WIth the win, the five-time champion tied Ivan Lendl for third place on the U.S. Open all-time wins list. Federer is now six behind Andre Agassi's 79. He'll face either Marcos Baghdatis or Steve Darcis in the second round.
Top-ranked American John Isner, seeded 13th, moved on in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. No. 5 Stan Wawrinka, No. 6 Tomas Berdych, No. 12 Richard Gasquet, o. 24 Bernard Tomic, and former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt also advanced.
American Donald Young delivered the most exciting match of the day as he outlasted No. 11 Gilles Simon in five, 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
On the women's side, No. 20 Victoria Azarenka and No. 11 Angelique Kerber also advanced in straights sets. American Nicole Gibbs, playing her as a wildcard, defeated Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. The only true upset came midday, as No. 6 Lucie Safarova fell to Lesia Tsurenko, 6-4, 6-1.
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Danielle Elliot is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Find her on Twitter and Facebook.
