Third seed Daniil Medvedev raced into the US Open second round on Tuesday with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-0 victory over Hungary’s Attila Balazs.
Medvedev, the 2021 champion in New York, pumped 41 winners past the unranked journeyman Balazs in a one-sided encounter lasting 74 minutes.
The Russian will play the winner of the all-Australian clash between Max Purcell and Christopher O’Connell for a spot in the last 32.
“It’s always good to start well. I’m happy with my performance,” said Medvedev.
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The world No 3, who was also runner-up to Rafael Nadal here in 2019, said he was happy to slide under the radar with much of the spotlight fixed on Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
“I don’t care. It’s normal that Carlos and Novak are the biggest names right now,” said Medvedev.
“My goal is to try to play well to get to wherever they are and try to win.”
Meanwhile, Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur overcame a medical scare to battle into the second round with a straight sets defeat of Colombia’s Camila Osorio.
Jabeur, chasing a first Grand Slam crown after three agonising defeats in finals since 2022, opened her US Open campaign with a 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) victory on the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The 29-year-old looked to be struggling during a tense first set, complaining to the chair umpire that she was having difficulty breathing after Osorio fought back from 4-1 down to level at 4-4.
