MORE: Sam Stosur's first round win in photos
Despite struggling throughout the year - suffering six losses to opponents ranked outside the top 60 - the Australian veteran crushed 20-year-old Davis 6-1, 6-4 in a fast-paced first round match.
Clearly eager to wipe last year’s first-round loss to 17-year-old world No.296 Victoria Duval, Stosur broke Davis three times, racing through the opening set.
The 24th seed broke the American again early in the second before suffering her only service lapse in the fourth game.
The 30-year-old avoided a single double fault during the two set match.
Samantha Stosur celebrates her first round win against Lauren Davis. Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
After lifting the trophy at Flushing Meadows in 2011 and making the quarter-finals in 2010 and 2012, Stosur bombed out in the opening round 12 months ago to American qualifier Duval.
“I certainly don’t want to go through that all over again,” Stosur told reporters ahead of her opener against world No 49 Davis.
But once she stepped on court, Stosur said the past didn’t matter.
“I didn't even think about last year's match, to be honest with you,” Stosur said.
“First rounds can be very tricky. I was certainly prepared for a tough match today, but I was able to come out and play well and do exactly what I wanted to do. So that was a good feeling.”
Stosur will meet with Estonian Kaia Kanepi on Thursday and knows she’s in for a tough match.
Kanepi sent Stosur packing from Wimbledon in their last grand slam meeting in 2010.
“She's a very tough opponent,” Stosur said.
“She can be very dangerous. She has a big game..I have to focus really on my tennis and do what I think is going to work against her.”
Casey Dellacqua of Australia returns a shot to Patricia Mayr-Achleitner of Austria. Photo by STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images
Stosur joins Australian’s Casey Dellacqua, Anastasia Rodionova, Nick Kyrgios, Matt Ebden and Samuel Groth who have all progressed through to the second round.
Ashleigh Barty was the first Aussie to be knocked out at Flushing Meadows with a 6-1, 6-3 loss to Czech 30th seed Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.
Former Croatian player Ajla Tomljanovic followed suite soon after on Court 6.
The 20-year-old played her first game under the Aussie flag last night but lost in three sets to Spanish 15th seed Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 1-6, 2-6.
Tomljanovic raised eyebrows last month when she announced she was switching national allegiances to be trained by Stosur’s former coach David Taylor.
Taylor guided Stosur to her US Open victory in 2011 but the two parted ways in August, opening the gates for the young Croatian to move in.