• US Open, Day One

Tsonga seeking improvement

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is looking to make his mark in the grand slams © PA Photos

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was pleased to get past Karol Beck in straight sets and he is looking to make improvements in his game. He said: "I think I played good tennis the first two sets, and after that I lost a bit concentration at the beginning of the third set. Then I came back, and I did some effort to come back. It was not easy today because the weather was hot. I'm happy to go through this round really quickly.

"I think I still have to improve a lot of things in my game. Not also in my game, but also physically I have to be a bit quicker. I have to move a bit better to win against these guys (Federer, Murray, Djokovic, Nadal), so I work on it. But anyway, you know, they are unbelievable and it's tough. Every year I'm better and better. I feel better and better on the court. I hope one time I will break this series of victories of these guys."

Milos Raonic beat Santiago Giraldo in five sets, but was seen berating himself on court. Commenting on those moments, he said: "I just felt like a lot of basic stuff I wasn't doing. I don't think I've struggled with my serve that much in a long, long time. A lot of double faults, and it wasn't just one double fault per game. It was when I double‑faulted I double‑faulted consistently a couple times in a row, so that made my job a lot more difficult and it gave him a little bit more freedom at the same time."

Sam Querrey is the 27th seed and following his win over Lu Yen-hsun, he feels that does not do justice to his game. He said: "I feel like I've been playing at a higher level than [ranking No.] 28 I feel like if I keep doing what I'm doing, I can get back into the top 15 and hopefully top 10. I want to keep serving big, hitting big forehands and taking risks and going for it more like I've been doing."

The No. 2 seed Angieszka Radwanska dropped just two games in beating Nina Bratchikova and is aware of hte pressure that comes with being a high seed. She said: "I'm just very happy that I could give it my best in the first match. It's always difficult for the first match. Every week it's different surface, different balls.

"It's always a bit harder because the people expecting you to play well and go far in the tournament. But I'm just trying not to really think about pressure. I'm just trying to do my best."

Venus Williams was hugely impressive in her win over Bethanie Mattek-Sands and she is hopeful her serves stands up to the pressure. She said: "For me my serve is huge because it's such a huge part of my game. It's important for me to get my first serves in. Of course, when there's a big point, I'm thinking my serve is going to save me every time. I think sometimes I get so involved in my serve I forget to play the rest of the point. It's definitely a balance. But for me and anybody else, when your serve is in, the rest of your game is beautiful usually."

Ana Ivanovic did not appear troubled by the foot injury that hampered her in Montreal recently and she is looking to press on following her win over Elina Svitolina. She said: "My big goal is to break the fourth round and get into quarter-finals. Obviously that's something I'm working hard on. Yeah, it's not easy, but I really tried to focus on taking it one match at a time, because sometimes when you get overexcited it doesn't really work for you the way you hope for. There is so many dangerous opponents out there, and everyone can have a great day and give a tough match. You have to really not take anything for granted and work hard for each victory."

Johanna Konta's grand slam debut proved to be a winning one, with the Brit claiming a superb win over Timea Babos. It was only two months ago that Konta secured British citizenship but it is something that she has wanted for a long time. She said: "It was a long time for me to get citizenship and I am very happy to have it. We moved her in 2005 and I have been here ever since. I have been supported by the LTA for a number of years and I consider this home now."

Commenting on her win, Konta said: "I was 5-1 down in the second and to bring it back is a great feeling. I had three tough rounds in qualifiers. Timea Babos is a great player, I went out and took care of things in my end and I am really happy. I am just going to recover, train tomorrow and get ready for the next one."

Angelique Kerber hammered Britain's Anne Keothavong and she is confident of going deep into the tournament. She said: ""I've beaten almost all the great players this year, but I think I've proven that I'm a great player myself. I think for sure I have a chance to win the tournament this year."

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