Hewitt said that he was happy to make a winning start to his US Open Series campaign at the ATP World Tour 500 hard-court tennis tournament. Hewitt, who is No. 42 in the South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings, has a chance to press his claim for a Top 20 spot this summer after missing the entire US hard court swing last year following a hip surgery.

Russian Mikhail Youzhny won on his Washington debut as he defeated American Robert Kendrick 7-5, 3-6, 6-1, while Yen-hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei battled past American wild card Michael Russell 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 to set up a second-round clash with defending champion and No. 2 seed Juan Martin del Potro.

In another first-round match, German Phillip Petzschner rallied past Russia's Teimuraz Gabashvilli 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.