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The bottom halves of both the men’s and women’s draws take top billing on Day 2 of the 2018 US Open, as first-round play wraps up with a stellar slate of tennis’ top talents in action. Two of the men’s Big Three—Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic—lead today’s list of luminaries, which also includes former US Open champions Marin Cilic, Maria Sharapova, Angelique Kerber, and Samantha Stosur. Add in women’s second seed Caroline Wozniacki and fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova, along with men’s No. 4 Alexander Zverev, 2014 men’s finalist Kei Nishikori, and 2017 women’s finalist Madison Keys, and you’ve got a Day 2 lineup that’s second-to-none.

play video Media Day: Roger Federer Interview
At 37, ten years removed from his last US Open crown, it’s hard to believe that five-time US Open champion Federer could possibly be a serious contender here for No. 6. But then, pretty much everything Federer has done in his remarkable career is hard to believe. Champion here in five consecutive years from 2004-2008, the Swiss owns the all-time men’s mark for Grand Slam crowns, running his major title total to 20 in January when he captured his sixth Aussie Open. Federer’s 82-12 lifetime mark here at the Open is part of a staggering 729-146 career hard-court record. This is his 74th Grand Slam main draw appearance.

SEE ALSO: Full-strength Roger Federer out to end US Open drought

Roger Federer practicing in the Grandstand
Roger Federer practiced in Grandstand on Wednesday as part of Fan Week. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer practiced in Grandstand on Wednesday as part of Fan Week. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer won five consecutive title between 2004 and 2008. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer won five consecutive title between 2004 and 2008. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgThe Maestro last reached the US Open in 2015, a loss to Novak Djokovic. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgThe Maestro last reached the US Open in 2015, a loss to Novak Djokovic. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer hits a forehand during a practice session Wednesday morning. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer hits a forehand during a practice session Wednesday morning. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer has an 82-12 record in 17 trips to New York City. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer has an 82-12 record in 17 trips to New York City. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer is the No. 2 seed at the 2018 US Open. He has never played top seed Rafael Nadal in New York and would only face him this year if they both reach the final. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer is the No. 2 seed at the 2018 US Open. He has never played top seed Rafael Nadal in New York and would only face him this year if they both reach the final. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer's coaches look on during a practice session inside the Grandstand. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer's coaches look on during a practice session inside the Grandstand. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer continues to wear Nike shoes even though he has changed to Uniqlo for his other items of on-court clothing. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer continues to wear Nike shoes even though he has changed to Uniqlo for his other items of on-court clothing. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer practicing at the 2018 US Open. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer practicing at the 2018 US Open. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer follows through on a forehand during a hit in the Grandstand on Wednesday. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer follows through on a forehand during a hit in the Grandstand on Wednesday. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer is escorted through the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on his way to the court. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.orgRoger Federer is escorted through the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on his way to the court. Photo: Ashley Marshall/USOpen.org
As the second seed, Federer finds himself in what figures to be the tougher half of the men’s draw, with potential threats looming throughout. But his opponent this evening, 22-year-old Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan doesn’t figure to be one of them. Nishioka, ranked No. 177, is making just his fourth US Open main draw appearance, reaching the second round here just once before—in 2015. Nishioka’s best tour-level showing this year was a run to the quarterfinals of the hard court event in Los Cabos—and that figures to still be the case after this evening. In three, Federer is on to round two.

play video Polo Ralph Lauren Presents: Nishioka vs. Federer
Although Djokovic is the No. 6 seed here, he may well be playing the best tennis among the men coming in to Flushing Meadows. After missing last year’s Open with an elbow injury, for which he had surgery in early 2018, the 31-year-old Serb had a rough start to this season, looking completely out of sorts in losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open and quarters of the French. But at Wimbledon, Djokovic looked very much like the Djokovic of old, taking out Nishikori, Rafael Nadal and Kevin Anderson in succession to claim his 13th major title. The former No. 1 comes to New York on the heels of a most impressive win at the US Open Series stop in Cincinnati, thrashing Federer 6-4, 6-4 in a dominating performance in the final to claim his 70th career singles title and become the first man in history to win all nine ATP Masters Series events.

SEE ALSO: Two-time champ Novak Djokovic and five-time US Open winner Roger Federer are among the favorites for the 2018 men's singles title.

Djokovic will look to keep the high tide of momentum surging today against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, who has this year posted some solid results in his own right. In January, the 26-year-old Fucsovics knocked off American Sam Querrey en route to the fourth round of the Australian Open—his best-career showing at a major. And in May, he claimed his first career title, winning the clay-court Geneva event, taking out Stan Wawrinka along the way. That said, the Hungarian has never been beyond the first round here in two previous tries, and against the red-hot Djokovic, it’s impossible to fathom that he’ll get past that point today. In an entertaining three, the sixth seed is on to round two.

Men’s No. 4 seed Zverev has this year won three tournaments, the most recent at this summer’s hard-court Washington, D.C. event, where the 21-year-old German blazed to the title with the loss of just one set. In addition to those three titles, Zverev also reached two other finals, including a runner-up finish to John Isner on cement in Miami in March. The 6 foot-six inch Zverev is, without doubt, a tall talent, with career wins over both Djokovic and Federer. At No. 4, he is currently the youngest player in the men’s Top 10. But despite all of that, his run to the quarters of this year’s French Open marks his best career Slam showing. In three tries, he’s never been beyond the second round here.

SEE ALSO: Polansky completes 'lucky loser grand slam'

Zverev’s first-round opponent, Canadian Peter Polansky, doesn’t have quite the resume of the German, but owns a pretty cool distinction in his own right: he’s the first player in history to earn a “lucky loser” spot in the main draw of all four Slams in a year. Lucky losers are players who lose in the final round of qualifying but get a spot in the main tournament when one of the main-draw players pulls out of the competition during the time between the draw being completed and the first matches played. The 30-year-old Polansky’s best-ever performance at a major was a second-round showing here in 2010, and that doesn’t figure to change today. The thing about being a lucky loser is that eventually, your luck is likely to run out. It’s Zverev in three.

play video Media Day: Caroline Wozniacki Interview
Women's second seed Wozniacki had for years been achingly close to a major breakthrough at a major event. The superbly-talented 28-year-old had reached the game’s No. 1 ranking, but had never stood alone at the end of a Grand Slam event. She’d played her way as far as the quarters nine times at the Slams, and was twice a finalist here. But something always had halted her short of holding the hardware. That all changed in January when Wozniacki captured her first major crown at the Aussie Open, knocking off Simona Halep in the final. This year she also won the title on grass at Eastbourne and reached the final at the hard-court event in Auckland and has once again ascended in the rankings to No. 2.

play video Pre-Match Analysis Stosur vs Wozniacki
Wozniacki faces an interesting opponent in her first-round match here, taking on 2011 US Open champion Samantha Stosur. The 24-year-old Aussie, now ranked No. 64, hasn’t been as far as the semis of a Slam since reaching that point at Roland Garros in 2016. But though the two are widely separated in the rankings, they’re relatively close in career head-to-head meetings, with the Dane holding a slim 7-5 edge. This could be a good one, between two who know what it’s lke to stand alone at the end of a Slam. In an entertaining three, the second seed moves on.

American Keys was on the brink of a breakthrough of her own here last year, putting together a tremendous run to her first Grand Slam final before losing to fellow American Sloane Stephens in the 2017 US Open women’s final. The 23-year-old Keys has continued to perform well on the sport’s grandest stages this year, reaching the quarters of the Aussie Open and the semis at Roland Garros. After a disappointing third-round loss at Wimbledon, Keys reached the quarters at Cincinnati, knocking out Angelique Kerber en route.

Tonight, Keys faces off against Pauline Parmentier, a veteran talent who this spring won her third career title at the clay-court event in Istanbul. Most comfortable on the soft stuff, the 32-year-old’s best career Slam showing was a fourth-round advance at Roland Garros in 2014. The two have met just once, with Keys topping the Frenchwoman in a tight two-setter in the Fed Cup semifinals in April. Tonight, expect a similar result. In straights, Keys is on to round two.

With only Day 1 in the books, the 2018 US Open has already produced its fair share of highlights. A record 67,832 fans took in a total of 64 singles matches at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, as the top half of both the men’s and women’s draws were in action.

Here’s a recap of the day’s top stories.

Kaia Kanepi stuns Simona Halep in Armstrong opener: In the first main-draw match played in the new Louis Armstrong Stadium, former world No. 15 Kaia Kanepi delivered the shock of the day by blasting her way past world No. 1 and reigning French Open champion Simona Halep. The Estonian gained control early, winning five of the match’s first six games, and remained in command throughout, firing 26 winners in the 6-2, 6-4 upset.
Serena makes winning comeback: Playing her first US Open as a new mom, Serena Williams returned with an emphatic 6-4, 6-0 victory over Poland’s Magda Linette in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The six-time US Open champion, who played just three matches on the North American hard-court swing this summer, was able to raise her game on the New York stage and move within one match of a potential third-round showdown with sister Venus, who advanced in three sets against Svetlana Kuznetsova in a first-round battle of former US Open champions.

SEE ALSO: Serena Williams, returning to the US Open after missing most of the season last year, overpowered the veteran Pole Magda Linette, 6-4, 6-0 in her opening match.
David Ferrer’s Grand Slam career ends against Rafael Nadal: The all-Spanish battle ended with a warm embrace at the net after Ferrer was forced to retire midway through the second set in the Arthur Ashe Stadium nightcap. The 36-year-old, who reached the semifinals in New York in 2007 and 2012, announced that the US Open would be the final Grand Slam of his 18-year professional career. Similarly, Germany’s Florian Mayer saw his career come to a close on Day 1, with a four-set defeat to Croatia’s Borna Coric.
Kevin Anderson survives five-set thriller: The 2017 finalist found himself trailing American Ryan Harrison by two sets to one on Court 17, fighting for his tournament life against not only Harrison, but also cramps and a pro-American crowd. The South African, who squandered four set points in the second set, dug deep to make sure he was still standing tall after four hours, 14 minutes.
Kevin Anderson survives five-set thriller: The 2017 finalist found himself trailing American Ryan Harrison by two sets to one on Court 17, fighting for his tournament life against not only Harrison, but also cramps and a pro-American crowd. The South African, who squandered four set points in the second set, dug deep to make sure he was still standing tall after four hours, 14 minutes.