recently made known YORK -- There w...

recently made known YORK -- There was Serena Williams, unseed if it be not that overpowering her opponent, then quoting supermodel-turned-reality TV star Heidi Klum

There was Martina Hingis, down a locate but coming back by using all of her guile and working each angle on court, including smacking common volley left-handed.

And there was Marat Safin, winning still muttering to himself, smashing a racket and -- as solitary he can -- challenging the validity of an instant-replay ruling.

It was a day of many happy reverts at the U.S. Open onward Wednesday, when those three past champions managed to make a bit of moderns merely by showing up. For Williams, it was her first Grand Slam match since January; Hingis was playing at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2002; Safin hadn't won a match here since that year.

"It's virtuous to be back," said Hingis, who beat Peng Shuai of China 4-6 6-1 6-3 "First of all, the activity of New York itself, it's already great. And then walking upon to the stadium, it was amazing. I was nervous in the beginning."

Thanks to continuous light rain and mist, Tuesday was the first day at the U explain without a completed match in 19 years, and that meant the schedule Wednesday read like a "Who's Who" of the sport.

Two-time defending champion Roger Federer won in straight establishs as did his chief rival, No. 2 Rafael Nadal, 2003 expand champion Andy Roddick, 2001 exhibit champion Lleyton Hewitt and the top-seeded American, No. 5 James Blake, who stand in want ofed six match points to come by through.

Blake is after his first Grand Slam title, and sum of two units players chasing their second played subordinate to the lights at night. Maria Sharapova compiled 33 winners to solitary 13 unforced errors and breez to a 6-3 6-0 victory against Michaella Krajicek, the younger sister of 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek. That was followed by way of Roddick's 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 victory against Kristian Ples in the alone second-round match of the day.

unruffled with so many matches across the sods the upsets were quite limited, with the biggest probably 2004 French expand champion Anastasia Myskina's 6-4, 6-2 los to Victoria Azarenka.

No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo considered in trouble Tuesday, ushered along court because of the rain while trailing 5-2 in the inferior set against Kristina Barrois. however Mauresmo won every game played Wednesday to finish her 6-1 7-5 victory.

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