Playing for the first time as the world No. 1, Nadal swatted his very first shot wide against No. 136 Bjorn Phau. The Wimbledon and French Open champ was two points from dropping the first set when he surged and, despite needing to bandage a nasty blister, won 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (4).
Nadal got much more of a test from the German qualifier than many anticipated, and shook his head near the end of a match that lasted nearly 3 hours.
Roger Federer, bidding for his fifth straight U.S. Open title, was scheduled to begin Tuesday.
The final Grand Slam event of the season figured to be a scramble on both sides.
Nadal seems like the natural favorite, yet has never gone beyond the quarterfinals in five previous tries at Flushing Meadows. The 22-year-old Spanish dynamo took a while to find his rhythm against Phau, whose spirited play made him a crowd favorite.
Fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium, often quiet during early daytime sessions, cheered when Phau dived for a shot, rolled over on his back and chased a return.
On the men’s side, fourth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain beat Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina 7-6 (1), 6-2, 6-2 and No. 32 Gael Monfils downed Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 6-4, 6-4, 6-1. No. 29-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina lost to Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-2, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
Also winning were No. 7 David Nalbandian of Argentina, No. 10 Stanislas Wawrinka and No. 16 Gilles Simon of France.
ALSO ON THIS STORY Discuss: Sound off on tennis message boards
Nadal beats Kiefer to advance at Wimbledon
Last chance for the shaky candidates
SMALL ADVANCE FOR WESTWOOD
