The 140th edition of the US Open begun on rather unfamiliar terms with various stars missing out citing lack of preparedness due to Covid-19.

Day 1 of the second Grand Slam of the season saw proceedings go as expected with no major upset so far.

Fifth seed Alexander Zverev overcame a tough challenge from South African Kevin Anderson to reach the US Open second round with a 7-6 (7-2) 5-7 6-3 7-5 win.

World number six Tsitsipas sailed through his opening match after defeating Spain's Albert Ramos Vinolas 6-2 6-1 6-1.

The Greek will face either American Maxime Cressy or Slovakia's Jozef Kovalik in the second round, while Zverev plays American 19-year-old Brandon Nakashima.

Novak Djokovic featured in first night session of this year’s US Open. The World Number 1 made it 24 wins in a row in 2020 after breezing past Danir Dzumhur to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 win in less than two hours.

Djokovic will play Kyle Edmund in the second round after the British number two came from behind to beat Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik.

In the women’s division, Fourth seed Naomi Osaka, who won the first of her two Grand Slams at Flushing Meadows in 2018, trembled in the second set before recovering for a 6-2 5-7 6-2 victory to avoid an early tournament upset.

There was bad news for Coco Gauff fans (and US Open organisers)... the American teenage phenomenon is out.

It was a difficult afternoon for the 16-year-old who struggled with her service game in a 6-3 5-7 6-4 defeat by Latvian 31st seed Anastasija Sevastova.

Sevastova is quite the Flushing Meadows specialist having reached the quarter-finals in 2016 and 2017, then going one better to the last four in 2018.

Top seed Karolina Pliskova made a confident start to her US Open campaign with a 6-4 6-0 win over Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina.

The Czech, 28, recovered from dropping serve in the first game to later string together eight games in a row, needing just 21 minutes to take the second set.

Pliskova, top-ranked in the absence of Ashleigh Barty and Simona Halep, faces France's Caroline Garcia next.

Also through are two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and 2016 US Open champion Angelique Kerber.