NEW YORK, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- No. 4 seed Lindsay Davenport impressed the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium Monday by quickly finishing off Eva Dyrberg, 6-2, 6-1 in her first-round match at the 2002 U.S. Open Tennis Championships in suburban New York.
Davenport recovered impressively from her collapse against Venus Williams Saturday in the finale of the Pilot Pen tournament, when she lost in straight sets after coming to within a point of winning the first. Davenport lost the final ten games of the match.
Meanwhile, Justin Henin, the No. 8 seed, routed fellow American Samantha Reeves, 6-1, 6-2. Henin, in a battle of wicked first serves that measured about 103 miles an hour for the winner and 107 for Reeves, hit flawless groundstrokes, committed only seven unforced errors and maintained a 100 percent break point conversion rate.
Also advancing in early first-round action on the men's side were Albert Costa and Michael Chang.
Davenport needed just 43 minutes to rout Eva Dyrberg of Denmark.
"I feel actually really, really good," the former No. 1 player said. "I was really excited for the tournament to start. I've been waiting to play a Grand Slam all year long. It was a long wait."
The fourth-seeded American is playing just her fifth tournament of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her right knee on January 11. She has reached the semifinals or better in all four hardcourt events heading into the Open.
Eighth seed Justin Henin of Belgium also had an easy time of it, pushing aside American Samantha Reeves, 6-1, 6-2, in 67 minutes. Henin also has had to battle with injuries. The Wimbledon semifinalist fractured her left ring finger last month at Stanford.
Also, No. 12 Elena Dementieva of Russia, who reached the semifinals here two years ago, posted a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Saori Obata of Japan.
On the men's side, French Open champion Costa of Spain,
the eighth seed, advanced past Magnus Norman, 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
