World number one Novak Djokovic barely broke sweat as he dispatched Brazil's Joao Souza for the loss of just three games in the US Open first round.
Djokovic is gunning for his third grand slam title of the year after triumphs at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and the Serb put on a dominant opening display in New York to win 6-1 6-1 6-1.
The victory took just one hour and 11 minutes to complete, with Djokovic now up against either Canada's Vasek Pospisil or Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer in round two.
Djokovic arrived in Flushing Meadows with some question marks hanging over his form following defeats in consecutive weeks to Andy Murray in Montreal and Roger Federer in Cincinnati.
The top seed, however, often saves his best for the heat of a grand slam and he never had to leave first gear against Souza, who is ranked 91st in the world and looked out of his depth from the start.
Seven breaks of serve, including two in the final set, and 24 winners ensured Djokovic moved safely into the second round on a day which also saw his 2014 conqueror Kei Nishikori crash out.
Nishikori beat Djokovic in the semi-finals 12 months ago and the pair had been due to meet again in the last four, but the Japanese fell at the first hurdle in a five-set defeat to France's Benoit Paire.
Source: PA
