ESPN 2008 US Open

NEW YORK -- Shrugging off an injury scare, No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic reached the second round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday and then said he would have no problem being the party pooper at this year's event.

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Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesNovak Djokovic, who appeared to turn his ankle in the third set, went on to win the set and match after having the ankle taped.

The Australian Open champion, runner-up to Roger Federer in New York last year, beat Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in his opening match.

"It's OK," Djokovic said of the ankle he appeared to turn early in the third set. "It's going to be good in two days, I'm sure. I was thinking more of it than I was really actually feeling the pain, so it's not really a big deal.

"In that certain moment, I felt big pain, so I just had to tape the ankle. But it's going to be all right," the Serb said.

Having won his first Grand Slam title in January, Djokovic is one of the favorites to end Federer's bid for a fifth consecutive U.S. Open title and Rafael Nadal's attempt at his first.

The 21-year-old Serb gave a terse response when told that many people would like to see a repeat of this year's Wimbledon final between Nadal and Federer, a marathon match won by the Spaniard.

"I'll make sure they don't have it," he said with a smile, in party-spoiling style.

Djokovic said the experience of playing in front of 23,000 people in the U.S. Open final against Federer 12 months ago was key to his victory at the Australian Open in January.

"That was kind of a turning point in my career," he said. "I started believing after the finals that I really can win. I knew it was a matter of time. I just needed to work and really dedicate myself to it, so that's what I did … and it paid off.

Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesUn-Fab-ulous: There was no magic for Fabrice "The Magician" Santoro, who lost his first-round match in straight sets.

"I [have] had the best season so far in my career and I have a different approach to the Grand Slams because, as a Grand Slam winner, you feel a little relief and you gain much more confidence," he said.

Eighth-seeded Andy Roddick, who has battled a shoulder injury this summer that led him to skip the Beijing Olympics, won his first match in straight sets. He beat Fabrice Santoro -- the oldest man in the draw at 35 -- 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.

Roddick, the 2003 Open champion, lost just two points on his booming service as he raced through the opening set in 25 minutes and never looked back in booking a second-round match against up-and-coming teen Ernests Gulbis of Latvia, a 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (3) winner over former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson of Sweden.

Santoro, who extended his men's record by playing in his 65th Grand Slam, had beaten Roddick in their last meeting on the indoor carpet in Lyon in 2007.

Roddick blasted 41 winners past the overmatched Frenchman, including 15 aces. The American lost just four points on his first serve the entire match.

"I felt good. That's the best I've felt in four, five months," Roddick, 25, said in a courtside interview. "Something about this place always gets me energized."

The match ended with Santoro thinking Roddick had tried to hit him with the ball. Roddick said that wasn't the case and he would try to seek out Santoro to clear the air.

Nikolay Davydenko, eager to bury a dismal run of recent form, charged impressively into the second round by beating Israel's Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

Davydenko has not won back-to-back matches since winning a low-key clay-court tournament in Warsaw in June, but he appeared to have regained his touch against the 76th-ranked Sela.

The fifth-seeded Russian's only stutter came when he was broken while serving for the match when leading 5-2 in the third set, but he quickly recovered to end his opponent's challenge in the next game.

U.S. Open Fast Facts

On this date: On Aug. 27, 1985, 14-year-old Mary Joe Fernandez became the youngest player to win a U.S. Open match, beating Sara Gomer in straight sets.

Stat of the day: Fourteen of the 34 games in the Jelena Jankovic-Sofia Arvidsson match were service breaks. Jankovic won eight and Arvidsson six.

-- The Associated Press

"It was very important for me that I play very well here, to come back as a top-10 player and play very good," the 27-year-old said.

"I played good for a first round because I can be nervous and my confidence is not so great at the beginning of a tournament. I played well all three sets, fighting well with very good concentration," he said.

Davydenko said he had been especially motivated to rediscover better form after a miserable run following his first-round loss to German Benjamin Becker at Wimbledon in June.

"After what I did Wimbledon, I lost mentally," added the world No. 5, who has twice reached the semifinals at the U.S. Open. "I was losing everything. I didn't want to really play tennis, I didn't want to prepare for tournaments. That's why I didn't play very good in Toronto and Cincinnati.

"That is why I have tried to come back. I have few tournaments to end this year and it was very important for me to play good here. This is the last [Grand Slam] tournament this year," he said.

The Russian said he was still feeling bruised after being placed under investigation by the ATP Tour over a betting scandal in Poland last August.

"I was really tired mentally," added Davydenko, who was involved in a match voided by British online betting exchange Betfair because of unusual betting patterns. "But I still play. I don't want to quit tennis. I try to play better and better and maybe I find my game. Maybe I find my confidence mentally and can play very well."

Asked whether his name had been cleared in the ATP investigation, he replied: "I didn't hear anything now. I don't know what's happening. I don't hear anything really long time. For me, I think it is good because I don't think about any different things. Just for the tennis."

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Davydenko denies any wrongdoing.

He will take on Argentina's Agustin Calleri, a 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 winner over American Austin Krajicek, for a place in the third round.

In other matches, Robby Ginepri rolled past Amer Delic 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (5) in an all-American matchup; 18th-seeded Spaniard Nicolas Almagro beat Canada's Frank Dancevic 6-3, 6-4, 7-5; Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the No. 19 seed, moved on with a 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win over Santiago Ventura; 26th-seeded Russian Dmitry Tursunov held off Eduardo Schwank of Argentina 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5); Spain's Carlos Moya beat Aisam Qureshi of Pakistan 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), 6-2; American Sam Warburg was leading 6-2, 1-0 when Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia retired; and Victor Hanescu of Romania held off Spain's Albert Montanes 7-6 (5), 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

The third night traditionally showcases the first men's match of the second round, but this year that was saved until Thursday.

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