Iga Swiatek launched the defence of her US Open crown with an emphatic opening victory on Monday as Novak Djokovic returned to the top of the men’s world rankings on his long-awaited return to the tournament.

Swiatek, bidding to become the first woman to successfully defend the US Open title since Serena Williams won a hat-trick of titles from 2012-2014, needed less than an hour to defeat Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson 6-0, 6-1.

The 22-year-old world No 1 from Poland overwhelmed her opponent with five breaks of serve and 20 winners to complete victory in just 58 minutes on the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

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“I wanted to start the tournament with everything I was focusing on,” she said after the win.

“I was happy to play a great game, with all the pressure and expectations I was happy on the court.”

Swiatek, targeting her fifth Grand Slam title, will face Daria Saville of Australia in round two.

While Swiatek advanced safely, there was no such luck for Greece’s eighth seed Maria Sakkari, who became the highest ranked early casualty in the women’s singles draw, beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Spain’s Rebeka Masarova, ranked 71st in the world.

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Kazakhstan’s fourth seed Elena Rybakina was an easy winner over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, cruising through to the second round with a 6-2, 6-1 victory in 1hr 27min.

Eighteenth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus was among the first women to book their place in the second round, swatting aside French wild card entrant Fiona Ferro 6-1, 6-2.

Tenth seed Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic also made it safely through, blowing away Australia’s Storm Hunter 6-4, 6-0 in 1hr 5min.

Elsewhere in the women’s draw on Monday, US teenager Coco Gauff – tipped by many as one of the tournament favourites – takes centre-stage with a night game against German qualifier Laura Siegemund.

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Men’s draw

Danish fourth seed Holger Rune was stunned in four sets by Spanish journeyman Roberto Carballes Baena, a clay-court specialist ranked 63rd in the world.

Carballes Baena punished an error-strewn display by Rune to win 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in 2hr 42min.

Last year’s US Open runner-up, Norway’s fifth seed Casper Ruud, reached the second round with a battling 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) defeat of Emilio Nava of the United States.

Elsewhere, 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem ended a miserable sequence of six consecutive first round exits at Grand Slam tournaments by defeating 25th seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in straight sets.

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Thiem, whose career has been blown off course by wrist and knee injuries since his lone Grand Slam win three years ago, won 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

“It took time to get my confidence back in my wrist, now I am back on track,” a delighted Thiem said in an on-court interview.

“I feel the game is back in place and a straight set victory today - I couldn’t be happier.”

In other men’s matches, American 10th seed Frances Tiafoe advanced with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 win over compatriot Learner Tien, while ninth seed Taylor Fritz swatted Steve Johnson 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 in another all-American clash.

Mackenzie McDonald also managed to beat 15th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, in another upset on the night.

Results from day one of the US Open at USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center on Monday (x denotes seed)

Men’s singles first round

Casper Ruud (NOR x5) bt Emilio Nava (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)

Zhang Zhizhen (CHN) bt J.J. Wolf (USA) 7-5, 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 4-6, 6-3

Rinky Hijikata (AUS) bt Pavel Kotov (RUS) 7-5, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5

Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Sebastian Korda (USA x31) 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 4-6, 6-4

Adrian Mannarino (FRA x22) bt Yosuke Watanuki (JPN) 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 7-5

Fabian Marozsan (HUN) bt Richard Gasquet (FRA) 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (1/7), 6-2

Sebastian Ofner (AUT) bt Nuno Borges (POR) 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-4

Frances Tiafoe (USA x10) bt Learner Tien (USA) 6-2, 7-5, 6-1

Tommy Paul (USA x14) bt Stefano Travaglia (ITA) 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1

Roman Safiullin (RUS) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA) 6-4, 6-2, 6-0

Juan Manuel Cerundolo (ARG) bt Ilya Ivashka (BLR) 2-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3, 6-3

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP x21) bt Marcos Giron (USA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

Dominic Thiem (AUT) bt Alexander Bublik (KAZ x25) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4

Ben Shelton (USA) bt Pedro Cachin (ARG) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4

Aslan Karatsev (RUS) bt Jiri Lehecka (CZE) 6-3, 6-3, 6-3

Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP) bt Holger Rune (DEN x4) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x7) bt Milos Raonic (CAN) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4

Dominic Stricker (SUI) bt Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

Benjamin Bonzi (FRA) bt Quentin Halys (FRA) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4

Christopher Eubanks (USA x28) bt Kwon Soon-woo (KOR) 6-3, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4

Titouan Droguet (FRA) bt Lorenzo Musetti (ITA x18) 6-3, 0-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-2

Jakub Mensik (CZE) bt Gregoire Barrere (FRA) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-2

Juan Pablo Varillas (PER) bt Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) 1-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-4

Taylor Fritz (USA x9) bt Steve Johnson (USA) 6-2, 6-1, 6-2

Mackenzie McDonald (USA) bt Félix Auger-Aliassime (CAN x15) 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4

Borna Gojo (CRO) bt Hugo Dellien (BOL) 6-3, 6-3, 6-1

Jiri Vesely (CZE) bt Enzo Couacaud (FRA) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4

Francisco Cerundolo (ARG x20) bt Zachary Svajda (USA) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3

Laslo Djere (SRB x32) bt Brandon Nakashima (USA) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4

Hugo Gaston (FRA) bt Sho Shimabukuro (JPN) 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4)

Bernabe Zapata Miralles (ESP) bt Ethan Quinn (USA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-3

Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) bt Alexandre Muller (FRA) 6-0, 6-2, 6-3

Women’s singles first round

Iga Swiatek (POL x1) bt Rebecca Peterson (SWE) 6-0, 6-1

Daria Saville (AUS) bt Clervie Ngounoue (USA) 6-0, 6-2

Lauren Davis (USA) bt Danka Kovinic (MNE) 6-2, 6-2

Kaja Juvan (SLO) bt Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA x29) 6-2, 7-5

Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x20) bt Jasmine Paolini (ITA) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1

Elina Avanesyan (RUS) bt Alize Cornet (FRA) 6-2, 1-6, 6-4

Wang Xiyu (CHN) bt Viktoria Kuzmova (SVK) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10/6)

Bernarda Pera (USA) bt Veronika Kudermetova (RUS x16) 7-5, 6-4

Petra Kvitova (CZE x11) bt Cristina Bucsa (ESP) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)

Jennifer Brady (USA) bt Kimberly Birrell (AUS) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)

Magda Linette (POL x24) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 6-3, 6-1

Elise Mertens (BEL x32) bt Mirjam Björklund (SWE) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10/3)

Danielle Collins (USA) bt Linda Fruhvirtová (CZE) 6-2, 6-0

Mirra Andreeva (RUS) bt Olivia Gadecki (AUS) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4

Cori Gauff (USA x6) bt Laura Siegemund (GER) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4

Elena Rybakina (KAZ x4) bt Marta Kostyuk (UKR) 6-2, 6-1

Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) bt Panna Udvardy (HUN) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4

Anna Kalinskaya (RUS) bt Katerina Siniaková (CZE) 6-4, 6-2

Sorana Cirstea (ROM x30) bt Kayla Day (USA) 6-2, 6-3

Victoria Azarenka (BLR x18) bt Fiona Ferro (FRA) 6-1, 6-2

Zhu Lin (CHN) bt Mayar Sherif (EGY) 6-3, 7-5

Yuriko Miyazaki (GBR) bt Margarita Gasparyan (RUS) 6-3, 6-3

Belinda Bencic (SUI x15) bt Kamilla Rakhimova (RUS) 6-2, 6-4

Karolina Muchova (CZE x10) bt Storm Sanders (AUS) 6-4, 6-0

Magdalena Frech (POL) bt Emma Navarro (USA) 7-6 (12/10), 1-6, 6-2

Taylor Townsend (USA) bt Varvara Gracheva (FRA) 6-4, 6-2

Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA x19) bt Sloane Stephens (USA) 6-2, 5-7, 6-4

Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) bt Anhelina Kalinina (UKR x28) 6-4, 7-5

Wang Xinyu (CHN) bt Katie Volynets (USA) 6-3, 6-4

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) bt Kateryna Baindl (UKR) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

Rebeka Masarova (ESP) bt Maria Sakkari (GRE x8) 6-4, 6-4