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Four-time defending champion and No. 2 seed Roger Federer took sole possession of the Open Era winning streak at the US Open, taking his unbeaten run to 28 straight matches as he defeated Argentine qualifier Maximo Gonzalez 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 on Tuesday at Flushing Meadows. The Swiss previously shared the record with Ivan Lendl, who won the US Open title from 1985 to 1987 but lost in the 1988 final.

Federer needed just one hour and 22 minutes to close out the first round victory, as he fired 15 aces and converted on seven of his 13 break point chances against Gonzalez, who was making his first US Open appearance.

"I thought I really served well and I thought I moved really well for the first round, and that's positive for a start," said Federer, whose last loss at the US Open came in the 2003 fourth round against David Nalbandian.

This marks the first time since the 2004 Australian Open that Federer is not the top seed at a Grand Slam tournament. He was seeded No. 2 at that event, and went on to capture the title. He said: "One or two is always pretty much the same thing. No, the change I feel is fans are really supporting me and telling me I'm still No. 1 and still the best, You're going to be there again and stuff. So I feel like I've got unbelievable support from the fans watching me and seeing people in the streets and stuff. It's kind of really nice."

Federer is trying to become the first man since Bill Tilden in 1924 to win five consecutive titles at the US Open, and next confronts Brazilian Thiago Alves, who battled to a 4-6, 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(2), 6-4 win over Chile's Paul Capdeville. The 26-year-old Alves is currently ranked No. 137 and is playing in his first ATP-level tournament this season.

In his first round match, American Mardy Fish defeated Australian qualifier Robert Smeets 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4. The 26-year-old Fish was a finalist last week in New Haven (l. to Cilic), and also reached the hard court final at the year’s first ATP Masters Series event at Indian Wells (l. to Djokovic).

Fish, who is making his eighth straight event appearance, will look to advance beyond the second round for the first time at the US Open when he faces No. 24 seed Paul-Henri Mathieu. The Frenchman prevailed over compatriot Sebastien Grosjean 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-2.

Mathieu's best US Open finish came in 2004, when he reached the third round (l. to Sargsian). In his Grand Slam appearances this season, he advanced to the fourth round at the Australian Open (l. to Nadal) and Roland Garros (l. to Djokovic) and the third round at Wimbledon (l. to Cilic).

Czech Ivo Minar was two games away from victory when 20th-seeded German Nicolas Kiefer, a finalist at ATP Masters Series Toronto (l. to Nadal), retired at 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 4-1. Minar next faces Finn Jarkko Nieminen (pictured right), who defeated American Scoville Jenkins 6-3, 6-3, 7-5. The 27-year-old Nieminen reached the US Open quarterfinals in 2005 (l. to Hewitt), but had lost in the first round the past two years.

Also Tuesday, No. 31 seed Andreas Seppi of Italy defeated South Korean Hyung-Taik Lee 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 3-6, 6-3 to set up a second round meeting with Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 winner over Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty.

Monday: Nadal Defeats Qualifier; Murray Wins; Blake Survives
Monday: Ferrer Makes Strong Start; Wawrinka Into Second Round

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