New York: Top-ranked Serena Williams launched her quest to win the US Open and complete a calendar Grand Slam by overwhelming 86th-ranked Russian Vitalia Diatchenko for her 29th consecutive Slam match triumph.
The three-time defending champion won 6-0, 2-0 after only 30 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium when Diatchenko retired with a left foot injury, advancing Williams into the second round at Flushing Meadows.
The 33-year-old American chases the first calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988 and a 22nd career major title to match Graf's Open Era record, two shy of Australian Margaret Court's all-time mark.
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic cruised into the men's second round but Japanese fourth seed Kei Nishikori crashed out after his runner-up effort last year.
Williams praised the New York crowd, which has adored her since she captured her first major title at the 1999 US Open as a teen prodigy.
"I felt the support and love on this journey and milestone I'm trying to take one match at a time," Williams said.
"I feel so good. I'm so ready. I'm at home, where it all began for me in '99. It all feels great."
Williams advanced to a second-round match against Dutch qualifier Kiki Bertens, who eliminated Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
"If I can just stay relaxed and stay in the points and stay calm and stay happy out there, I have to look at it as I have nothing to lose."
Williams lost plenty of potential obstacles in her march to history on day one as top-10 women's seeds Ana Ivanovic, Karolina Pliskova and Carla Suarez Navarro exited with opening-match losses.
That left 12th seed Belinda Bencic -- who ousted Bulgarian Sesil Karatancheva 6-1, 6-2 -- as the top-rated foe in Williams' half of the draw. Williams, who lost to Bencic in the Toronto semi-finals, could see the Swiss teen again in a quarter-final.
Williams, who owns six US and Australian Open and Wimbledon titles plus three French Open crowns, won her 22nd US Open match in a row since her last loss, to Aussie Samantha Stosur in the 2011 final. Williams has won eight Slam titles since then.
No. 1 Djokovic rolls:
Djokovic needed only one hour and 11 minutes to capture a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Brazil's Joao Souza.
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"There's something I love about number one for sure. Hopefully I can keep it up," said Djokovic. (Photo: AP)
"I'm just hoping I can continue to play this way and if I can, I feel I have a really good chance against anybody."
Djokovic's highest-ranked possible semi-final foe had been Nishikori, but last year's runner-up exited the US Open at the first match for the third time in five years as France's 41st-ranked Benoit Paire saved two match points and defeated the Japanese star 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4.
"To beat Nishikori, for me, it was impossible to imagine this," Paire said. "I'm really happy."
Paire, who had never before beaten a top-five foe, fired 21 aces to only three for Nishikori and blasted 64 winners, 30 more than Nishikori, with 67 unforced errors, 31 more than the Asian number one. (Photo: AP)
"He was very aggressive, so there were many rallies and it was tough to get rhythm," Nishikori said.
Nishikori led the tie-breaker 6-4 but swatted a forehand long, watched Paire smack two service winners and then Nishikori netted a forehand to force a fifth set.
Paire, who won his first ATP title last month at Bastad, broke for a 3-2 lead and held to the finish to win after three hours and 14 minutes.
Defending champion Marin Cilic of Croatia won his opener 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3) over Argentine qualifier Guido Pella.
"Defending a Grand Slam title for the first time for sure is something I will learn from," Cilic said.
Top Serena rivals ousted:
Slovakia's 50th-ranked Dominika Cibulkova ousted seventh-seeded Ivanovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, delivering the Serb star's earliest US Open exit since 2009.
After the injury-forced withdrawal of Russian third seed Maria Sharapova, Ivanovic had been Williams' top-ranked rival.
That status fell to Czech eighth seed Pliskova, who promptly lost to American Anna Tatishvili 6-2, 6-1, and then to 10th seed Suarez Navarro, who fell to Czech Denisa Allertova 6-1, 7-6 (7/5).
One Williams rival who advanced was her older sister Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam champion. The US 23rd seed outlasted Puerto Rico's Monica Puig 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3.
