Kuznetsova crashes out of US open

Defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova saw her reign brought to a crushing end on the opening day of the US Open at Flushing Meadows but top seed Maria Sharapova had an easy passage into the second round.

Fifth seed Kuznetsova was stunned 6-3 6-2 by fellow Russian Ekaterina Bychkova at Armstrong Stadium, just 65 minutes into her title defence, capping a miserable year on court.