Davydenko, Cilic Cruise Through Openers

© Getty ImagesNikolay Davydenko reached the US Open semi-finals in 2006 and 2007.

ATP World Tour No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko defied scorching temperatures on Monday at Flushing Meadows as he advanced to the second round of the US Open with a comfortable 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 victory over American Michael Russell.

The Russian, who has struggled to find his top form since missing 11 weeks earlier in the season with a fractured left wrist, rallied from a 2-4 deficit in the first set to dismiss Russell in two hours and 21 minutes. After going down the early break, Davydenko raised his level and showed flashes of the form that took him to his 20th ATP World Tour title in Doha in January as he capitalised on six of 16 break points to record his ninth win since returning to action in Halle in June.

The 29-year-old Davydenko is likely to be more severely tested in the second round when he faces the unseeded Richard Gasquet, who made light work of Simon Greul in their first-round clash. The Frenchman served 10 aces and broke serve five times as he defeated the German 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 51 minutes.

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Like Davydenko, World No. 13 Marin Cilic also recovered from a slow start to defeat Ukrainian Illya Marchenko 7-5, 6-3, 6-1. The Croatian rallied from a break down in the first set to prevail in just over two hours, capitalising on 14 double faults from his No. 73-ranked opponent and converting seven of 14 break points. Cilic next will face Japan’s Kei Nishikori, who was leading 7-6(0), 5-2 when his opponent, Evgeny Korolev, was forced to retire with a right elbow injury.

The 21-year-old Cilic made his Grand Slam breakthrough at the US Open last year, advancing to the quarter-finals with victory over then-World No. 2 Andy Murray before falling to eventual champion Juan Martin del Potro. He came into New York on the back of two first-round losses at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Toronto (l. to Troicki) and Cincinnati (l. to Baghdatis), but enjoyed better fortune earlier in the season by winning two titles in Chennai (d. Wawrinka) and Zagreb (d. Berrer) and reaching the Australian Open semi-finals (l. to Murray).

Spanish No. 22 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero, who reached the US Open final in 2003 (l. to Roddick), looked to have shaken off the knee injury that kept him sidelined throughout the Olympus US Open Series, brushing aside Slovakian qualifier Martin Klizan 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 in just 85 minutes. The former World No. 1, a winner of three ATP World Tour titles this season, benefitted from 12 double faults by Klizan as he broke serve seven times from 13 opportunities. He next will face Brazilian Ricardo Mello, who overcame Germany’s Bjorn Phau in four sets 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4).