Radwanska, Kerber, Venus ease into US Open second round

Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland serves to Nina Bratchikova of Russia during their women's singles match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York August 28, 2012.  [Photo/Agencies]

FLUSHING MEADOWS, New York - Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska, sixth-seeded German Angelique Kerber and two-time champion Venus Williams all took easy victory Tuesday to reach the US Open second round.

Poland's Radwanska thrashed Russian Nina Bratchikova 6-1, 6-1 in 54 minutes. The 23-year-old Polish converted on six-of-seven break-point chances against the US Open debutant.

Radwanska, who reached her first-ever Grand Slam final last month at Wimbledon where she succumbed to Serena Williams, will meet Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro in the second round, where Radwanska bowed out the last three years in Flushing Meadows.

The left-handed Kerber, who was a surprise semifinalist here a year ago and leads the WTA in match wins this year (54-16), routed Britain's Anne Keothavong 6-2, 6-0.

The in-form German will next round face Venus as the unseeded former world No. 1 blew away fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3, 6-1.

Venus Williams of the US serves to compatriot Bethanie Mattek-Sands during their women's singles match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York August 28, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Venus struck serves as big as 124 miles per hour in her opening match, but the American veteran is 1-2 lifetime against the German, including a recent loss at the London Olympic Games.

Venus captured back-to-back US titles in 2000 and 2001 and was the  runner-up in 1997 and 2002.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia serves to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during their women's singles match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York August 28, 2012.  [Photo/Agencies]

Former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic reached the second round with a 6-3, 6-2 thrashing of Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. The 12th-seeded Serb is a former French Open champion and two-time Grand Slam runner-up.

20th-seeded Italian Roberta Vinci swept past Radwanska's younger sister Urszula 6-1, 6-1, while 30th-seeded former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic beat Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko 6-1, 6-2. Jankovic was the US Open runner-up in 2008.

Andrea Hlavackova knocked out 24th-seeded fellow Czech Klara Zakopalova 6-4, 6-4, while Japan's Ayumi Morita dismissed 26th-seeded Romanian Monica Niculescu 6-3, 6-3, and Russian Elena Vesnina upset 32nd-seeded Chinese Peng Shuai 7-6 (5), 6-1.

Also advancing at the final major of the year were Suarez Navarro, Russians Vera Dushevina and Ekaterina Makarova, Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova, Aussie Johanna Konta, Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva and Yaroslava Shvedova, Swede Sofia Arvidsson, Spaniard Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino, and Serb Bojana Jovanovski.