Williams wasn’t the only star to cruise into the second round.
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Williams, launching her latest bid to rewrite the record books, started strong and didn’t let up in 6-3, 6-3 victory over 29th ranked Ekaterina Makarova.
So she arrived at her home Major with the aim of winning her eighth United States title, of winning her 23rd Major-finally overtaking Steffi Graf-and of defending her No1 ranking.
Former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, who Murray beat in the Olympic final, is also safely through.
Before the floodlights came up, Serenas elder sister Venus claimed a Grand Slam record of her own as her 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Ukraines Kateryna Kozlova marked her 72nd appearance in the main draw of a major. It was his second career comeback from down two sets.
While all eyes were on Serena and Venus, Radwanska and Halep were busy getting it done earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, Connecticut Open and Emirates Airline US Open Series victor Agnieszka Radwanska roared past American qualifier Jessica Pegula, dropping just two games en route to the second round.
“I didn’t hit my serves as hard as I normally hit them”, the world No. 1, who next faces compatriot Vania King, told reporters.
Halep, the fifth seed, was unable to complete the “double bagel”, however, as she wound up winning 6-0, 6-2.
In other results for the seeds, 2011 champion Samantha Stosur, Carla Suarez Navarro, Pliskova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Caroline Garcia, Timea Bacsinszky, Timea Babos and Laura Siegemund all emerged as winners from the first round.
Serena in straight sets, as usual.
Ana Ivanovic is out of the U.S. Open in the first round for the second straight year after a 7-6 (4), 6-1 loss to Denisa Allertova of the Czech Republic.
The sixth-seeded Nishikori reached his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open two years ago, losing to Marin Cilic at that stage.
She was not the only seed to fall on Tuesday. Eighth-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria needed five sets to secure his second-round spot, downing Australias John Millman 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
In the decisive ninth game of the first set, and with Williams serving, Makarova bowed out meekly, as Williams ripped her sixth, seventh and eighth aces, the latter a 102 miles per hour missile that sailed past Makarova and gave the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion the first set.
Williams, a two-time victor in Flushing Meadows, next faces Julia Georges, who defeated Yanina Wickmayer 6-3, 6-2.
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Williams was beaten previous year by eventual finalist Roberta Vinci, but looks on course to regain her title and defend her status as world number 1 with a strong performance at Flushing Meadows.
