US Open: Naomi Osaka battles through, while Andrey Rublev claims notable scalp (VIDEO)

Defending US Open champion Naomi Osaka shook off the cobwebs before eventually defeating Russian Anna Blinkova to get her tournament off to a winning start at Flushing Meadow.

The 20-year-old starlet, who won the hearts of the tennis world by capturing the US Open, then the Australian Open, found herself 4-1 down early on after an early break by Blinkova, who had never progressed past the first round in New York before.

But Osaka soon found her form and, with a knowing grin on her face as the momentum shifted back in her favor, took the first set 6-4.

However, it wasn't to be a simple task from that point on, as Blinkova came storming back in the second set to level up the match 7-6 via the tiebreak.

© Reuters / Jerry Lei

Osaka gathered herself once again and came back strongly in the third set to show her championship composure and run out a 6-2 winner in the decider and seal her progression to the second round.

Over the course of the three-setter, Osaka hit eight aces and 44 winners, but it will be her 50 unforced errors that will be the focus of her team as she prepares to make a successful defense of her title.

© Reuters / Geoff Burke

While Osaka staved off a potential first round shock in the women's draw, there was a notable exit in the men's tournament, as Russia's Andrey Rublev defeated No.8 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas after a four-set thriller on the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Rublev battled shot for shot with the Greek star and eventually ran out the winner 6-4, 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 to claim the first big scalp of the tournament.