ESPN 2007 US Open

NEW YORK -- Maria Sharapova shanked a backhand wide, prompting her opponent to leap in the air and pump her fist and smile as though she won the match -- or, indeed, the U.S. Open championship itself.

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Uh, not quite. That little celebration by 51st-ranked Roberta Vinci of Italy was for winning one game Tuesday night, allowing her to narrow Sharapova's lead to 6-0, 5-1.

A few minutes and one hold of serve later, Sharapova's 50-minute day was done and she was into the second round at the tournament where she produced her second Grand Slam title a year ago.

"There's no way to get rid of the memories when I walk on the court and feel the vibe," the second-seeded Russian said, 600 crystals on her red dress sparkling in the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights. "Every corner I turn here, I get goose bumps."

She compiled 15 winners before Vinci hit her first and finished with a 30-3 edge in that category during the 6-0, 6-1 victory -- part of a mini-parade of past champions taking to the courts in first-round action.

Sharapova's been on the wrong end of some routs at the Grand Slam tournaments this year, including against Serena Williams in the Australian Open final and against Venus Williams in Wimbledon's fourth round. And Sharapova, whose breakthrough came with the 2004 Wimbledon title at age 17, has been dealing with shoulder problems much of this year.

No signs of that Tuesday, although she did double-fault twice on match point in the final game. Otherwise, about the biggest problem Sharapova had was when she missed a sip of water during a changeover and spilled a spot on her custom-made outfit.

Even Vinci took note of the getup, saying: "It's difficult to play against her. Strong player. Nice girl. She has a nice dress."

"It's red this year, like the Big Apple, in honor of the city," Sharapova told the crowd, before gathering her patent leather racket bag and black jeweled handbag and heading to the locker room.

Former champions Martina Hingis and Svetlana Kuznetsova also coasted into the second round.

Kuznetsova defeated Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-3, needing just 64 minutes to win through to a meeting with Camille Pin of France, a 6-1, 6-2 winner over Tatiana Perebiynis of the Ukraine.

"I think I played better in the first set," Kuznetsova said in a courtside interview.

"I got a bit tired in the second set but I am happy to get through. I feel like my game is getting there and hopefully I will get better with each match," she said.

The fourth-ranked Russian covered the court exceptionally well, especially in the final game when she did a full split going to her right and again to her left.

Despite losing both points, she quickly closed out the match. She showed a slight hobble walking off the court but seemed fine a few minutes later.

Kuznetsova said she tried "to get to every ball back because she was missing a lot."

"So I had to slide for the balls. I have to really be careful about my feet," she said.

Kuznetsova won the tournament in New Haven last week but said she had largely taken a novel approach to preparing for the final Grand Slam of the year.

"I rested a lot," she said.

AP Photo/Darron CummingsMaria Sharapova opened her title defense with a 6-0, 6-1 win that took just 50 minutes.

Hingis, back for her 10th U.S. Open, beat Mathilde Johansson 6-0, 6-3. The 16th-ranked Swiss player had just eight unforced errors to 23 by her opponent.

Hingis, who won the title in 1997, has struggled with hip and back injuries this year but made short work of Johansson, the world No. 112.

"I have nothing to lose, I feel like I can only win at this tournament, only get better," she said.

"Last year I lost in the second round. The last couple months were kind of a rocky road with all the injuries and that [so] every match is a good match. Every victory is a good one," she said.

Hingis skipped the event in Toronto a fortnight ago to get herself fully fit and said she finally felt healthy again.

"The first couple months [of the year] I played a lot," she said. "I won Tokyo, had quarterfinals again at the Aussie Open. Everything was a smooth ride. But after that, here and there, the injuries came. Everything wasn't a bed of roses anymore.

"I played Wimbledon where I had only the [one] week preparation. Now I [have] had two weeks of good training. Sometimes you feel like it's never enough. But I definitely played a good match today. I'll hopefully work my way into the tournament," she said.

Hingis next plays French qualifier Pauline Parmentier, with a likely clash with Kuznetsova in the fourth round on the horizon.

"Of course, the first two, three rounds I'm supposed to win," she said.

"I really take it one at a time because I don't have that many matches under my belt. I don't know that girl that well, Parmentier. I have a few people to look at her, to tell me about her. Kuznetsova had last week a good run, winning the tournament. We've played before. Hopefully we get to meet again."

No. 6 Anna Chakvetadze of Russia, No. 11 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, No. 13 Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic and No. 30 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland also advanced.

No. 26 seed Sania Mirza overcame a second-set lapse to breeze by Estonian Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 6-7, 6-1 and advance to the second round.

Mirza committed 32 unforced errors but half of them came in the second set.

"Today, I just felt a bit up and down the whole match," said the 20-year-old. "It's a fast surface and she hits the ball pretty big. It's very hard to get your rhythm. There are not too many rallies when you play her. Finally, when there is a rally, you make a mistake because you're not used to it.

"It wasn't the best match I've played by far. What is important is that you come out winning. You also want to finish strong. That's what gives you confidence for the next round," Mirza said.

Mirza, hampered by a nagging wrist injury, needed only 26 minutes to win the final set and advance to a second-round match against American Laura Granville.

While conceding she had a mid-match wobble, Mirza said the 22-year-old Kanepi lifted her game to force the final set.

"She played a lot better in the second set," said Mirza. "She was so much more relaxed and she was going for it. She was hitting a lot more winners. Someone who plays like that, you can't keep that up for three sets. I just wanted to hang in there. In the third set, I started getting a bit more aggressive.

"It was the first match of a Slam and the first match of a new tournament so it's always hard," she said.

Mirza, who reached the fourth round of the 2005 Open, said she is playing the best tennis of her career.

"I'm playing better every day and learning and improving," she said. "I feel confident and I'm hitting the ball well. It's my goal to make it to the second week here."

Ninth seed Daniela Hantuchova became the highest-seeded casualty in the women's singles when she was upset 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 by Julia Vakulenko.

The Slovak made 32 unforced errors as she suffered her earliest exit at Flushing Meadows since she lost on her debut in 2001.

"Obviously it was not my best performance today," Hantuchova said. "I had my opportunities but I think she played very well, especially in the third set. I had my chances and didn't take them."

World No. 50 Vakulenko took the first set but the ninth seed looked back on track when she leveled at one set apiece.

However, Vakulenko then broke the Hantuchova serve twice to clinch victory and set up a second-round match with Croat Jelena Kostanic Tosic.

Having ended last year as the world No. 18, Hantuchova hit top form in March, winning her second career title at Indian Wells, and has reached four semifinals this year.

However, an illness in Los Angeles earlier this month set her back and she lost her first match in New Haven last week.

"I felt fine here," Hantuchova said. "I felt very good. Today was just one of those things that is hard to understand."

The Slovak said she still harbored hopes of qualifying for the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, for the top eight-ranked players of the calendar year.

"It was not a goal at the start of the year but as I started to do better, it [qualifying] became my No. 1 priority," said Hantuchova, who was 10th in the standings going into the U.S. Open.

"It's going to be tough but I still have chances," she said. "I may add a couple more tournaments to my schedule if I am doing well."

In other action, Dominika Cibulkova upset No. 23 Tathiana Garbin 6-4, 6-3; Virginie Razzano beat Emilie Loit 6-1, 6-2; Granville defeated Olivia Sanchez 6-2, 6-2; Victoria Azarenka beat Emmanuelle Gagliardi 6-1, 6-1; Maria Kirilenko beat Martina Muller 6-3, 6-1; Parmentier beat Tatjana Malek 6-2, 6-4; and Severine Bremond beat Edina Gallovits 6-1, 7-5.

Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.