Marin Cilic shrugged off being shunted off to the Louis Armstrong Stadium on Monday where his status as defending US Open champion was saluted by just a smattering of fans. The Croatian stunned tennis last year when he defeated Roger Federer in the semi-finals and Kei Nishikori in the championship match to lift his first — and so far only — Grand Slam title. Instead, he was second match up on Armstrong, where he saw off Argentine qualifier Guido Pella 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3).