NEW YORK -- Sixth-seed Marat Safin of Russia started 2000 with a 1-5 record, but after taking on former player Andrei Chesnokov as coach, he has become one of the more consistent players on tour.

	Greg Rusedski concentrates on an eye-high return against Magnus Gustafsson.

Safin defeated Thierry Guardiola of France, 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4 Wednesday in their first-round match.

Meanwhile, fifteenth-seeded Mark Philippoussis fired 14 aces in his 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 win over Albert Portas, and Greg Rusedski had 12 aces as he ousted Magnus Gustafsson 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

Safin had 25 aces, including a 138-mph bullet. He has won three titles this season, including the Tennis Masters Series stop in Toronto -- a hard-court event.

Since working with another former Russian player, Alexander Volkov, he beat Sampras en route to his triumph at Toronto and reached the final at Indianapolis.

Safin reached the fourth round in his first U.S. Open two years ago but was bounced in the second round in 1999.

Briton Rusedski, a 1997 finalist, had a three-match losing streak and was playing for the first time in more than a month due to a foot injury.

Former world No. 1 Carlos Moya of Spain, who has been plagued by an ailing back, defeated Mikael Tillstrom of Sweden 6-4, 6-2, 7-5. Moya reached the semifinals here in 1998 -- the same season he won the French Open.

Pete Sampras delivered a message on the first point of his match, and the one he sent to Justin Gimelstob -- a 133 mph service winner up the middle -- was emphatic.

It was a serve that left no doubt that Sampras was on, that there would be no upset on Wednesday night in the U.S. Open as there had been the night before when two-time champion Patrick Rafter tumbled out.

Sampras kept pounding out that message, game after game, never losing a service game, and when he served the last of his 13 aces at 125 mph on the final point Gimelstob was gone, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.

"It was one of those matches where everything kind of clicked," Sampras said. "I was keyed up. You hope it carries over for the rest of the tournament, but it's pretty tough to keep that level up. But it can be done."

Since he turned pro four years ago, the 6-foot-5 Gimelstob has carried the promise, or the hope, that he would be the next great American men's player, that he would inherit Sampras' place in the game. Now, at 23, with nothing better than a third-round finish in major tournaments, and with no year-end ranking higher than No. 80, there is no reason to believe he will ever come close to that goal.

At 29, Sampras, four times the U.S. Open champ, is still capable of making Gimelstob look like an awkward amateur. Even with a bum leg at Wimbledon, he beat Gimelstob in four sets. The way he beat him this time only emphasized the gap between them.

Other men's winners include No. 3 Magnus Norman and Xavier Malisse.