US Open: Angelique Kerber brings the heat on Polona Hercog in Round 1

Second-seed German Angelique Kerber makes short work of ailing Polona Hercog; Slovenian retires due to heat exhaustion on Day One at New York

New York: Second-seeded German Angelique Kerber made a definitive start to her US Open campaign yesterday, reaching the second round when Polona Hercog retired without winning a game.

Polona Hercog of Slovenia walks off after retiring in her match against Angelique Kerber of Germany during their 2016 US Open women's single's match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York yesterday. Pic/AFP

Kerber, who toppled Serena Williams to lift the Australian Open crown in January and fell to the American in the Wimbledon final, was leading 6-0, 1-0 when 120th-ranked Hercog of Slovenia called it quits in the sultry heat of Flushing Meadows' Arthur Ashe stadium court.

Kerber, who could topple Williams from atop the world rankings in the final Grand Slam of the season, next faces either France's Alize Cornet or Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.

Buyukakcay wins
Cagla Buyukakcay was the first player to punch a second-round ticket with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Irina Falconi.

Turkey's Buyukakcay, ranked 66th in the world, needed just 59 minutes to get past America's Falconi and set up a second-round meeting with either two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, the 14th seed, or Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko.

Gasquet crashes out
Britain's Kyle Edmund pulled off the first shock of the US Open and secured the biggest win of his career as he knocked out 13th seed Richard Gasquet in straight sets.

Edmund, playing his first ever match in the main draw but it was the 21-year-old who looked the seasoned campaigner, thrashing Gasquet 6-2 6-2 6-3 to reach the second round. He will now face either US's Ernesto Escobedo or Lukas Lacko, giving him a Round 3 chance.

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