Djokovic Cruises Past Niland in First Round - U.S. Open

Top seed Novak Djokovic made quick work of his first round opponent Conor Niland of Ireland, 6-0, 5-1, after Niland retired early due to illness, at the U.S. Open on Tuesday.

The dominant Serb needed only 44 minutes to basically put 197th-ranked Niland away. Djokovic has had some shoulder problems recently and had withdraw from the last tournament he was in, but appears to be fine.

Throughout the whole week I was carrying the pain and discomfort in my shoulder, Djokovic said. After Cincinnati, I took some time off. I did everything to recover the shoulder. Today, I didn't feel any pain. I served well and I played well and I didn't have any concerns.

The 24-year-old star had three aces, while Niland had one. Djokovic's fastest served reached 125 miles per hour. He had seven unforced errors, compared to Niland's 18.

Djokovic will face the winner of Pere Riba of Spain, and Carlos Berloq of Argentina, in the second round.

Djokovic has a 58-2 record in 2011, and is a favorite to win the U.S. Open.

Another strong contender for the U.S. Open Men's singles title is Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard faces Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan later tonight.

Nadal is going to play with taped fingers after burning them at a restaurant. One of the best players of his generation, Nadal will likely be fine, and can expect to breeze past Golubev.