Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova are off to strong starts in the 2014 U.S. Open after scoring straight-set victories in Day One of the Grand Slam event on Monday at Flushing Meadows in New York.

Djokovic, considered as the favorite to win the title this year following the withdrawal of Rafael Nadal, cruised to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win. The top-seeded Serb was never threatened for the entire match, which ended just minutes before midnight.

Stan Wawrinka, who could meet Djokovic in the semifinals, had to sweat it out before moving on to the second round with a hard-earned 6-2, 7-6(6), 7-6(3) win against Jiri Vesely, while Djokovic's possible quarter-final opponent won against Robin Haase 6-3, 7-6(6), 1-6, 7-5.

Sharapova, who is one of the strongest contenders on the women's side, opened her campaign at Flushing Meadows with an impressive 6-4, 6-0 win against compatriot Maria Kirilenko, while second-seeded Simona Halep had a come-from-behind win against Danielle Rose Collins 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-2.

Meanwhile, second-seeded Roger Federer will begin his quest for his 18th Grand Slam title on Tuesday when he faces Marinko Matosevic of Australia in the opening round.

Federer, a five-time U.S. Open champion, is considered as one of the strongest threats to Djokovic's title bid, and Murray is not surprised, saying that the 17-time Grand Slam champion has been playing incredibly well this year.

"It has been impressive how he has responded since last year," Murray said of Federer in an interview with The Guardian on Sunday. "I wasn't among them but a lot of people were writing him off and saying he wouldn't win another major. But he proved at Wimbledon that he can still do it. He was extremely close there and he has played great in the run up to this as well."

Women's tournament top seed Serena Williams will also see action for the first time when she takes on fellow American Taylor Townsend in the first round.

The match between Federer and Matosevic is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. EST, which will be followed by the women's showdown between Williams and Townsend at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Tennis fans can catch the 2014 U.S. Open day two action on Tennis Channel and ESPN starting 11 a.m. EST. All matches will also be available through online live streaming via U.S. Open Live, Tennis Channel Live, WatchESPN and CBSSports.

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