Medvedev storms past American Kozlov to begin US Open title defence

World number one Daniil Medvedev opened his US Open title defence by walloping American Stefan Kozlov 6-2 6-4 6-0 in sweltering conditions on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.

The Russian had an inconsistent run-up to Flushing Meadows but was back to top form on the court where he won his maiden Grand Slam title a year ago, sending across 10 aces and neutralising Kozlov's serve.

“I’m most pleased to win first of all — not easy conditions,” said Medvedev, who repeatedly wrapped an ice towel around his neck to keep cool in the humid, 29.4 degree Celsius conditions.

The pair traded breaks early in the first set before Medvedev got his motor running, clinching the next four games as Kozlov won fewer than half of his first-serve points. Kozlov was no match for Medvedev's raw power in the second set.

The American scraped his wrist and knee after he dived to retrieve the ball, but ended up falling to the ground heavily in the ninth game that saw Medvedev break him to love. He called on the trainer to tend to the injuries but Medvedev showed no mercy to his former juniors rival as he raced through the final set like a bullet train in just 27 minutes to set up a meeting with Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the second round.

“He's always tough to beat, so I'm happy that I managed to find the right rhythm today,” Medvedev said.

Colombian qualifier Daniel Galan stunned fourth-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0 6-1 3-6 7-5 in an epic first-round showdown, winning the affair on the ninth match point. Playing in the main draw for the first time, Galan appeared right at home on tennis' biggest stage, claiming the first 11 games as Tsitsipas struggled to find any of his usual finesse and won just five of his service points in the first set.

Tsitsipas had a physio tend to his right arm before the sixth game in the second set, when he finally got on the board, and again during the break before the third set, when he broke Galan in the second game.

Galan faces Australian Jordan Thompson in the second round.

Andy Murray powered into the second round with a comfortable 7-5 6-3 6-3 win over Argentine Francisco Cerundolo on Monday, as the former world number one rolled back the years at the scene of his first Grand Slam triumph a decade ago.

The 35-year-old Scot, who has battled various injuries in recent years, raced to a 5-2 lead early in the match but dropped his level slightly before edging a tight first set and breaking quickly in the next to put 24th seed Cerundolo under pressure on a sweltering hot Arthur Ashe Stadium court.