Swiss get off to perfect US Open start

World number one Roger Federer has won his first match at the US Open in three sets, in a bid to win a sixth straight title in New York.

The Swiss won 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 against 18-year-old American, Devin Britton, who was playing in only his second match on the pro circuit.

Federer wasted little time at the start of the match, taking the first set in only 18 minutes.

But the young American, 1,369 places below Federer in the ATP rankings, proved he was not going to be a pushover in the second, up at one point in the set 3-1 before the Swiss star took charge.

Britton did not lose confidence in the third, keeping the match tight before finally losing 7-5.

Federer is 2,430 points ahead of world number two Andy Murray in the rankings, after winning the Cincinnati Masters a week ago. He beat the Scotsman in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile three other Swiss players also made it through to the second round. Marco Chiudinelli (ATP 161) defeated Potito Starace of Italy 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2), 6-0.

In the women’s competition, Timea Bacsinszky, ranked 74th, beat Russia’s Vesna Manasieva 6-3, 6-4 while Stefi Vögele, ranked 77th, defeated Alberta Brianti of Italy 6-7, 6-1, 6-3 making it to the second round of a major for the first time in her career.

The two remaining Swiss taking part in the Open – Stanislas Wawrinka and Patty Schnyder – are playing their first round games on Tuesday.

swissinfo.ch and agencies