<<Print>>

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were in good form as both enjoyed straight-sets wins at the US Open on Wednesday. World number three Nadal swept past Richard Gasquet in round one on his return to Grand Slam action. The third seed, who missed Wimbledon with tendonitis in both knees, powered to a 6-2 6-2 6-3 victory to set up a match against Germany's Nicolas Kiefer. And Federer, playing his second-round match, beat Germany's Simon Greul 6-3 7-5 7-5 in the night session. Greul, the world number 65, put up a good effort in such a high-profile match and had two set points in the second set, but Federer came up with a superb backhand volley and a big serve. And the Swiss had to fight back from 3-0 down in the third set to seal victory in one hour 58 minutes and extend his unbeaten run at Flushing Meadows to 36 matches, stretching back to 2003. "I saw him play a couple of times, he played really, really well," said Federer. "I knew I could be in for a battle. I thought the level was really high. There was a lot of intensity."Federer will next face 2001 champion Lleyton Hewitt in a repeat of their US Open final of 2004, after the Australian beat Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3 6-3 6-4 on Wednesday. "There's not a lot of guys that really have been able to beat him - especially here," said the Australian, who has lost his last 13 matches against Federer. "He started his run here in 2004 in the final, so it would be nice if I could finish it. "He's obviously extremely confident at the moment, coming off the last two majors as well. It's going to take someone to play a great match against him, especially three-out-of-five sets."Looking ahead to facing Hewitt, five-time champion Federer added: "I'm intrigued about this match-up. It's an incredible run for me against him. I cannot believe I've beaten him that many times in a row. But we had some close ones during those 13. "Everyone starts from zero, unfortunately for me now. I hope I can win again." As the day session drew to a close, sixth seed Juan Martin del Potro beat fellow Argentine Juan Monaco 6-3 6-3 6-1 with an impressive display, and ninth seed Gilles Simon of France defeated Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 6-3. Earlier, France's Gael Monfils, the 13th seed, cruised into the second round with a 6-1 6-4 6-3 win over compatriot Jeremy Chardy.Monfils, who won in just 95 minutes, said: "I think my best thing was I tried to play inside the court, tried to be more aggressive, and not going too far off my baseline, so this was good." Former champion Marat Safin bowed out of his final Grand Slam with a straight-sets defeat by Austria's Jurgen Melzer. But all eyes were on Nadal, and the condition of his knees, when he emerged on court at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The last time the 23-year-old competed in a major, he saw his four-year French Open reign end in the fourth round at Roland Garros and, during his enforced absence, he also lost his number one ranking. His opponent Gasquet has also just returned to the Tour, following a two-month suspension after he tested positive for cocaine. Gasquet has played only two matches since his ban ended and he was far too rusty to trouble Nadal, who did not have to face a single break point as he eased through. "It felt good," Nadal said afterwards. "I served well in the important moments. I played very well on my backhand, which is very important in my game. "I'm very happy to be in the second round. Nicolas [Kiefer] is a very good player. I have to play well if I want to have a chance to win." The Spaniard added: "I am very happy to be here another time, and I am enjoying much more practising with a better attitude than when I was playing in the clay season with pain in the knees every day. "I went on court without pressure, just thinking I feel I'm a very lucky guy to be here playing and enjoying this sport."