Flushing Meadows, NY (My Sportsbook) - Former world No. 1 superstar Rafael Nadal was an easy opening-round winner Wednesday at the U.S. Open, the final Grand Slam event of the year.

A third-seeded Nadal blew past talented Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 at the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center.

Gasquet returned to ATP play here after serving a drug-related suspension this summer.

The 23-year-old Nadal is a six-time major champion, including this year's Aussie Open title, but has yet to reach a U.S. Open final. He was a semifinal loser at the hands of Scottish star Any Murray here a year ago.

Nadal's second-round opponent will be dangerous German Nicolas Kiefer.

Thirteenth-seeded Gael Monfils advanced to the second round with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 pasting of fellow Frenchman Jeremy Chardy on Day 3.

Former U.S. Open champ Marat Safin came up an opening-round loser in his final trip here, as the former top-ranked Russian star gave way to tough Austrian lefthander Jurgen Melzer 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

Safin, who captured one of his two major titles here in New York nine years ago by blasting the legendary Pete Sampras in the final, had already announced that this would be his final season on the ATP World Tour.

Former U.S. Open runner-up Juan Carlos Ferrero took care of 36-year-old Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, in round one. The 24th-seeded former world No. 1 Ferrero was the U.S. Open runner-up in 2003. Santoro, like Safin, is expected to retire by year's end.

In other first-round action involving seeds, No. 32 Spaniard Nicolas Almagro got past Belgian Steve Darcis 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10-8).

Additional opening-round wins came for Germans Andreas Beck and Kiefer, Austrian Daniel Koellerer, Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci, Argentine Jose Acasuso, Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas, and American Robby Ginepri, who came from behind to best Romanian veteran Andrei Pavel 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0. Ginepri was a semifinalist here four years ago.