NEW YORK, Aug 26: Beijing gold medallists Rafael Nadal and Elena Dementieva shook off their Olympic hangovers on Monday to stumble into the second round of the US Open.

As the newly-crowned world No 1, Nadal would have been expected to flatten a qualifier ranked 136th in the world.

But the Spaniard’s exertions over the past few weeks, where he made a flying visit to the Chinese capital to add the Games title to his triumphs at the French Open and Wimbledon, appeared to have caught up with him as he struggled to a 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 win over Germany’s Bjorn Phau.

“The problem is playing Toronto, Cincinnati and Beijing, then coming back here. In two weeks, two times, 12 hours’ jet lag,” said Nadal, who ended Roger Federer’s record run of 237 consecutive weeks at the top last Monday.

“I’m a little bit more tired than I usually am but, at the same time, I must be very happy how I did this year.”

Dementieva, after finally getting her hands on a major title, also found it difficult to break free from the Olympic bubble.

She snapped back to attention in the nick of time to come from 5-3 down in the second set, saving two set points, before beating Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan 6-4, 7-5.

Eight days after pulling off the greatest win of her career, Dementieva admitted she was still pinching herself.

“I was holding [the medal] for three days, to make sure it’s not a dream. It’s real,” said the Russian fifth seed.“It’s really very hard not to think about the Olympic Games. Yesterday I was trying to go to sleep but I couldn’t because... my mind is still there.”

Phau must have also experienced a sleepless night at the prospect of facing the imposing figure of Nadal across the net.

But once he stepped on to the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, he put in a nerveless display to rattle the Spaniard.

Nadal eventually revealed his iron will to end Phau’s brave challenge in just under three hours.

Ninth seed James Blake may also have suffered from Beijing fatigue, needing five sets to subdue 19-year-old fellow American Donald Young 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to bring the curtain down on the opening day’s play.

On a night when Flushing Meadows paid a glittering tribute to the players who have won singles titles in New York since tennis turned professional in 1968, Nadal and Dementieva led a parade of Olympic champions, past and present, into round two.

Lindsay Davenport, winner in Atlanta in 1996, did not seem to suffer from any ill effects from the knee injury which has curtailed her season and eased past Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak 6-4, 6-2.

Men’s 10th seed Stanislas Wawrinka, who helped Federer fulfil his Olympic dream by winning the doubles crown in Beijing, beat Simone Bolelli of Italy 7-6, 6-3, 6-3.

British sixth seed Andy Murray lived up to his billing as a title contender when he gave unlucky Argentine Sergio Roitman the run-around in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 mauling.

Roitman’s compatriot David Nalbandian enjoyed better fortune and overcame Brazilian Marcos Daniel 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

Second seed Jelena Jankovic underlined her title aspirations with an unforgiving 6-3, 6-1 exhibition against grand slam debutante Coco Vandeweghe.

On a low-key opening day for the season’s final grand slam, third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, former Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli, 15th seed Patty Schnyder and men’s fourth seed David Ferrer all advanced.

Tenth seed Anna Chakvetadze’s challenge, however, stalled in the first round. She collapsed to her earliest Grand Slam defeat in over three years when she was hustled out 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 by fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova.

Monday’s collated results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

First round: 9-James Blake bt Donald Young 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4; Juergen Melzer (Austria) bt 27-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 2-6, 6-4; Ryler De Heart (US) bt Olivier Rochus (Belgium) 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Michael Llodra (France) bt Teimuraz Gabashvili (Russia) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4); 25-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) bt Luis Horna (Peru) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2; Viktor Troicki (Serbia) bt Carsten Ball (Australia) 7-6 (7-3), 6-0, 6-1; 1-Rafael Nadal (Spain) bt Bjoern Phau (Germany) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 7-6 (7-4); Andreas Beck (Germany) bt John Isner (US) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3); Jiri Vanek (Czech Republic) bt Stephane Bohli (Switzerland) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5; Andrey Golubev (Kazakhstan) bt Brendan Evans (US) 6-4, 6-3, 6-2; 6-Andy Murray (Britain) bt Sergio Roitman (Argentina) 6-3, 6-4, 6-0; Wayne Odesnik (US) bt Fabio Fognini (Italy) 2-6, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; 7-David Nalbandian (Argentina) bt Marcos Daniel (Brazil) 6-1, 6-2, 6-4; 10-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) bt Simone Bolelli (Italy) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-3; Kei Nishikori (Japan) bt 29-Juan Monaco (Argentina) 6-2, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2; 16-Gilles Simon (France) bt Marcel Granollers (Spain) 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2; Evgeny Korolev (Russia) bt Robin Soederling (Sweden) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 7-6 (11-9); Roko Karanusic (Croatia) bt Ryan Sweeting (US) 7-5, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2; 4-David Ferrer (Spain) bt Martin Vassallo Argueello (Argentina) 7-6 (7-1), 6-2, 6-2; Jose Acasuso (Argentina) bt Michael Berrer (Germany) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2; 25-Gael Monfils (France) bt Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) 6-4, 6-4, 6-1; Thomaz Bellucci (Brazil) bt Oscar Hernandez (Spain) 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-5; Steve Darcis (Belgium) bt Denis Gremelmayr (Germany) 6-1, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (7-4), 6-4; 17-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) bt Guillermo Canas (Argentina) 4-6, 7-6 (7-0), 6-4, 6-1.

Women’s singles:

First round: 2-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) bt Coco Vandeweghe (US) 6-3, 6-1; Zheng Jie (China) bt Shenay Perry (US) 6-2, 6-3; 26-Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) 6-4, 7-5; Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) bt Gisela Dulko (Argentina) 6-4, 6-0; 8-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) bt Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) 6-4, 6-3; Tamira Paszek (Austria) bt 22-Maria Kirilenko (Russia) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4; Tatiana Perebiynis (Ukraine) bt Mariya Koryttseva (Ukraine) 6-1, 6-4; Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) bt 10-Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) 1-6, 6-2, 6-3; Sorana Cirstea (Romania) bt Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2; Maria Elena Camerin (Italy) bt Emilie Loit (France) 6-0, 6-2; 21-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) bt Ahsha Rolle (US) 6-2, 6-1; Virginia Ruano Pascal (Spain) bt Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-2; Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) bt Yan Zi (China) 6-2, 6-4; Ekaterina Bychkova (Russia) bt Anastasia Rodionova (Russia) 6-1, 6-3; Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) bt Karin Knapp (Italy) 6-0, 6-3; 29-Sybille Bammer (Austria) bt Aiko Nakamura (Japan) 6-4, 6-2; 28-Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) bt Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) 3-6, 6-0, 6-3; Alisa Kleybanova (Russia) bt Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) 6-2, 7-5; Anne Keothavong (Britain) bt Alexa Glatch (US) 6-2, 6-2; 3-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) bt Zhang Shuai (China) 6-4, 6-2; 14-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) bt Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) 6-2, 6-1; Li Na (China) bt 24-Shahar Peer (Israel) 2-6, 6-0, 6-1; Sara Errani (Italy) bt Jelena Kostanic Tosic (Croatia) 6-4, 6-2; 23-Lindsay Davenport (US) bt Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) 6-4, 6-2; 25-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) bt Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spain) 7-5, 7-5; 12-Marion Bartoli (France) bt Galina Voskoboeva (Russia) 6-2, 6-3; Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) bt Vania King (US) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2; 15-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) bt Anastasia Pivovarova (Russia) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; Pauline Parmentier (France) bt Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2); 5-Elena Dementieva (Russia) bt Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) 6-4, 7-5; Aravane Rezai (France) bt Asia Muhammad (US) 6-2, 6-4; Yvonne Meusburger (Austria) bt Lourdes Dominguez (Spain) 6-1, 6-2.—Reuters