Djokovic, Pliskova march into 2nd round of US Open

Novak Djokovic and Karolina Pliskova were among the big names to shrug off the deathly quiet at Flushing Meadows as the last Grand Slam of the season got underway on Monday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Tennis players overcame eerily quiet stands as a "weird," spectator-free US Open started with heightened safety protocols for some players following a positive COVID-19 test.

Several competitors were placed in what one of them described as a "bubble within a bubble" after France's Benoit Paire was withdrawn from the men's draw Sunday for testing positive for coronavirus. "It was made clear that the infected player was not adhering to the health protocols that have been approved by the State of New York," a spokesperson for the United States Tennis Association told AFP.

A person familiar with the matter said Paire had been lax about wearing a face covering. Match-winning points went uncheered, ball persons wore masks, and players had to reach for their own towels in a tightly controlled environment that made for a opening day Slam unlike any other.

"The conditions are strange, we miss the fans," said France's Kristina Mladenovic after a 7-5, 6-2 win over American Hailey Baptiste. Mladenovic was one of several players forced to adhere to stricter safety measures after compatriot Paire was withdrawn. Several competitors including Richard Gasquet, Adrian

Mannarino and Edouard Roger-Vasselin had been in contact with Paire, according to French sports publication L'Equipe, leading to doubts about their participation.

The USTA confirmed that a number of players were now being tested on a daily basis, rather than every four days.

They are now also only allowed to leave their hotel room to travel to the US National Tennis Center. Previously they had been allowed in communal areas.

"We got some bad news two days ago and since then I've been living in a nightmare," said 30th seed Mladenovic.