Liam Broady beat fellow Briton Jay Clarke in straight sets to reach the second round of US Open qualifying.

British number five Broady, 24, eased to a 6-3 6-1 victory against Clarke, who is two places higher than him in the national rankings.

Broady will next face Belarus’ Uladzimir Ignatik, needing two more wins to reach the main draw, which starts on Monday in New York.

Heather Watson also won in the first round of qualifying on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old British number three beat 14-year-old American Cori Gauff 6-4 6-1 in one hour 11 minutes to set up a tie with either Japan’s Ayano Shimizu or China’s Han Xinyun.

Britons Harriet Dart, Katie Swan and Gabriella Taylor are also in first-round action in New York on Wednesday.

Kyle Edmund, Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie are the British men already in the main draw, while Johanna Konta is the only Briton to have gained direct entry to the women’s singles.

• Edmund through at Winston-Salem Open