Injured Djokovic nearly blows it

NEW YORK // Novak Djokovic overcame an ankle injury to defeat the Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-3 6-3 6-4 in the first round. The third seed Djokovic, who lost to Roger Federer in last year's final, entered this hardcourt grand slam as one of the favourites to dethrone the four-time defending champion.

The Serb, 21, coasted through his first two sets, mixing his powerful serve with a barrage of precise groundstrokes. But an eerie silence fell upon Arthur Ashe Stadium in the fourth game of the third set when Djokovic hyperextended his left ankle while planting himself for a forehand shot. The reigning Australian Open champion doubled over on his hands and knees before making his way to the sideline, where a trainer administered tape and a pain-numbing spray to his ankle.

Djokovic appeared slightly troubled after the delay, as Clement drew even at 4-4, but he persevered to reach the second round for the fourth time in as many career attempts. Meanwhile, the former world No 1 Andy Roddick roared past the veteran Fabrice Santoro of France 6-2 6-2 6-2 to complete the men's first round. Roddick, the 2003 Open champion, lost just two points on his booming service as he raced through the opening set in 25 minutes and never looked back in booking a second-round match against the up-and-coming teenager Ernests Gulbis of Latvia.

Santoro, 35, who extended his men's record by playing in his 65th grand slam, had beaten Roddick in their last meeting on the indoor carpet in Lyon in 2007. The eighth-seeded Roddick blasted 41 winners past the overmatched Frenchman, including 15 aces. The American lost just four points on his first serve the entire match. "I felt good. That's the best I've felt in four, five months," Roddick, 25, said. "Something about this placealways gets me energised."

The fifth seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko also advanced to the second round courtesy of an easy 6-3 6-3 6-3 victory over Dudi Sela. Davydenko was making his first appearance in a grand slam since his opening-round upset at Wimbledon in June, when he was defeated in straight sets by Benjamin Becker. But he looked outstanding against his feisty opponent. "I played good for the first round, because I'm always nervous and my confidence is not so great just in the beginning of tournaments," he said.

"I played good all three sets and had very good concentration." The world No 5 moved on to a second round match with Argentina's Agustin Calleri, who beat American Austin Krajicek in straight sets. The Russian has won all four of his previous meetings with Calleri, the world No 49. The other seeded winners were Nicolas Almagro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Eduardo Schwank, while the American Sam Warburg was the only unseeded winner from the early portion of the schedule.

* PA Sport