• US Open, Day One

Murray shrugs off injury concerns

Andy Murray was not at his best but made it into round two © PA Photos

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Andy Murray was not entirely impressive in his win over Alex Bogomolov Jr but felt there were positives to take from the performance. He said: "I won in three sets. I didn't serve very well but only lost seven games in three sets, so I must have done something well today. Bogomolov, I think he was seeded here last year. He made the third round. He plays his best tennis on the hard courts. He's a tough player. I played fairly well from the back of the court. I just would have liked to have served a bit better because I wasn't getting many free points on my serve. Because of that, there were a lot more rallies. When he's in a rhythm, he's tough to break down."

Murray was struck down by cramp late in the match but it does not appear to be of great concern. He said: "It was very, very humid on the court today. Maybe I didn't take enough fluid. It happens. I haven't played that many matches in that sort of humidity for a while. It's probably a bit of a shock to the body. I need to make sure I'm on that for the next match."

Ivan Dodig is up next for Murray and it would appear he will come out swinging on his first clash against the Brit. Dodig said: "I have to be aggressive. I have to risk a lot and hope that everything will go in the court. I will try to play my best tennis. In the end, we will see how it's going to be."

Sam Stosur started the defence of her title in style with a demolition of Petra Martic. Stosur would appear to be far more comfortable in New York as opposed to her home grand slam in Australia.

"You're in the spotlight a bit more back home and you see yourself on TV and the newspapers even if you're not looking for it. It's unavoidable, whereas here there are other players that are in that spotlight instead," Stosur said. "The more you go through (that pressure), hopefully the better you handle it and the more you get used to it and then it doesn't affect you as much."

Stosur won the opening 19 points and was aware of being close to a golden set. "It pops into your head and you think, 'Oh, that would be cool.' I knew that I hadn't missed a point and the match had been going pretty quick and obviously in my favour. Then I hit the double fault."

Heather Watson was completely overwhelmed by Li Na, but still felt she performed with real credit. She said: "I didn't come off too disappointed, as I left everything out there. She is a grand slam champion, she did not give me anything and there was not much I could do. I thought I served well in spells and hit with more pace and depth. It was a quality match. I will watch it back to learn from it, to see where I can improve, what I did well and what I did not well."

Li Na arrived at the US Open on the back of a win in Cincinnatti and she was just happy to snap her poor run at Flushing Meadows. She said: "I really have to say I am really happy to win this first match. The last few years I always lost in first round. I saw the schedule and knew it would be hard but I have got it done so I do not have to pack and go back to the airport to fly back home."

Maria Sharapova was impressive in her US Open starter © PA Photos

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Maria Sharapova was delighted with her first outing since the Olympics in beating Milinda Czink in straight sets. "I was just happy to be back playing a competitive match. It's been a few weeks," Sharapova said. "It was a nice break in a way, but after so many weeks of practicing, you're just eager to get back on the court. I was happy with the way I came out. Never played my opponent before. A lefty. Conditions weren't exactly perfect. Overall I played steady, but there's room for improvement, that's for sure."

James Blake has had some epic games at Flushing Meadows and he is on a high following his impressive win over Lukas Lacko - suggesting his injury problems are behind him.

"I feel great," Blake said. "Don't worry about the ice. That's just preventive. The shoulder feels better than ever; knee feels better than ever. I'm actually feeling great. It's a really good feeling. That's been exciting for me the last three or four weeks during the summer where I actually feel like I can move the way I used to or the way I need to to compete here.

I think I was kidding myself earlier in the year thinking I was able to move at this level and I really wasn't after the knee surgery. I think I more wanted it to be okay than it really was okay. Now for it to really feel the way it does, I feel like I can move and be effective with my legs. Without my legs I'm a pretty average to below average player here. I need those to be strong. The way it's feeling now, I want to just keep on playing."

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