Osaka dethrones champ Kerber

New York: Angelique Kerber became the second women's defending champion to lose in the US Open first round when she was crushed 6-3, 6-1 by 19-year-old Japanese Naomi Osaka on Tuesday.The German sixth seed, who has not won a title since winning at Flushing Meadows last year, never got into the match against the 2016 WTA newcomer of the year.

The last defending women's champion to lose in the first round in New York was Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2005.
World number one Karolina Pliskova eased into the US Open second round with a no-nonsense 6-2, 6-1 victory over Poland's Magda Linette/

World number three Roger Federer survived a first-round scare from Frances Tiafoe before grinding out a 4-6 6-2 6-1 1-6 6-4 victory over the American teenager in front of a raucous crowd at the US Open on Tuesday.

Federer looked more relieved than overjoyed when Tiafoe’s forehand found the net on match point to keep his hopes of a 20th grand slam title alive.

This was for the first time that Federer has taken five sets in the first round at Flushing Meadows since making debut against Peter Wessels in 2000.

Meanwhile, Federer's 79th US Open match win has tied him in second place with Andre Agassi, behind only Jimmy Connors on 98.

World No 1 Rafael Nadal dismissed Dusan Lajovic 7-6 (6), 6-2, 6-2 to ease into the US Open second round on Tuesday, setting the Spaniard on a collision course for a long overdue Flushing Meadows showdown with Roger Federer.

Federer will follow Nadal on to Arthur Ashe Stadium later on Tuesday looking to hold up his end when he takes on American Frances Tiafoe.

After a sluggish run-up to the US Open that included a shock round of 16 loss to Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov in Montreal and another to Australian Nick Kyrgios in the Cincinnati quarter-finals, Nadal needed a few games to find his range against the 85th-ranked Serb.