Sharapova survives scare as US Open begins

New York: Maria Sharapova survived an early scare at the US Open on Monday after Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was bounced from the year's final Grand Slam, which began on time and under perfect sunny, blue skies.

It was business as usual at the National Tennis Center in New York as the earthquake that rattled the US East Coast last week and the deadly hurricane that killed at least 21 people were instantly forgotten.

Thousands of spectators streamed the gates at Flushing Meadows on a glorious summer day while players who spent most of the weekend in their Manhattan hotels bounded on to the courts to weather their own storms.

Former champion Sharapova was given the honour of being one of the first players on Arthur Ashe centre court.

As expected, the Russian made it safely through to the next round, beating British teenager Heather Watson 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, but it was an unconvincing performance.

Watson won the junior title two years ago and was making her first appearance in the senior draw but she was able to frustrate and torment the more experienced Sharapova for more than two and a half hours before she finally succumbed.

Czech Kvitova, the fifth seed, left the Louis Armstrong court almost sobbing after falling 7-6, 6-3 to unseeded Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru.

Kvitova has been a marked woman since her surprising win at Wimbledon in July but this time she was the architect of her own downfall, making a whopping 52 unforced errors.

Her early exit has further opened up a women's draw which was already looming as one of the most unpredictable in years.

Kim Clijsters, the champion in each of the past two years, is missing because of injury and there are plenty of unanswered questions about the older brigade.

Sharapova has not won a Grand Slam since 2008. Serena Williams is back at the US Open for the first time in two years and her older sister Venus is not seeded.

But they have been installed as favourites, mostly because their younger rivals have yet to win a Grand Slam, including current world number one Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva, the number two from Russia.

Both have had come close. Zvonareva was a finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open last year and made a bright start to her latest US Open campaign when she thumped Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France 6-3, 6-0.

Advancing along with Sharapova and Zvonareva to the second round were 16-year-old Madison Keys — the youngest and, at 455th, lowest-ranked woman in the draw — who beat 37-year-old fellow American Jill Craybas 6-2, 6-4; and No. 12 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who beat her younger sister Urszula Radwanska 6-2, 6-3.

But surprise 2009 US Open quarter-finalist Melanie Oudin of the United States lost 6-0, 7-6 (7) to Romina Oprandi of Italy.