Zverev marches into US Open third round

German fourth seed Alexander Zverev has reached the third round at the US Open for the first time in four appearances after beating Frenchman Nicolas Mahut.

Alexander Zverev of Germany.

German fourth seed Alexander Zverev has beaten Nicolas Mahut to reach the US Open third round. (AAP)

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev beat a second lucky loser as Roger Federer set up a third round clash with Nick Kyrgios at the US Open on Thursday.

Zverev overcame Nicolas Mahut 6-4 6-4 6-2 to reach the third round in his bid for his first grand slam title.

The 21-year-old German won all of his five break points and thumped 10 aces and 18 winners to dispatch his French opponent in one hour and 49 minutes.

Federer made it 18 second-round wins from as many US Open appearances.

The No.2 seed beat Benoit Paire 7-5 6-4 6-4 to continue his streak of reaching the third round in the tournament he has won five times.

Zverev told reporters he was pleased with his performance, having never reached the third round at Flushing Meadows.

"This was always the grand slam where I didn't play my best ever," Zverev said.

"Game-wise, I never felt comfortable here. Finally I do."

He added that he was working to minimise distractions to help him focus more on the matches ahead.

"I don't go out at all ... I spend the least possible time here on site because that takes energy away," Zverev said.

"(I)may be enjoying New York a little less, but that gives me, you know, the credibility to play better."

The up-and-coming Zverev has had a relatively easy road at Flushing Meadows after beating another lucky loser, Peter Polansky, in straight sets in the first round.

He will expect his good fortune to continue when he meets unseeded countryman Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round on Saturday, having won their last two meetings.

Kohlschreiber defeated Australia's Matthew Ebden 6-7 (1-7).6-3 6-2 6-0.

A frustrated Novak Djokovic advanced despite dropping a set to Tennys Sandgren.

The Wimbledon champion had struggled in the heat against Marton Fucsovics two days previously and been relieved to come through in four sets.

He looked to be cruising in the slightly cooler evening conditions before things became complicated in the third set.

Djokovic fought back from a break down and held a match point at 5-4 but Sandgren saved it.

A sloppy tie-break from Djokovic coupled with inspired play from his opponent saw the American push the match into a fourth set, where the sixth seed regained his superiority to win 6-1 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-2.

"Credit to Tennys for playing well, fighting, a great attitude on the court," Djokovic said.

"I'm not happy with the way I lost that concentration and composure there ... but it's in these kind of moments you learn lessons and hopefully I'll move on a better player."

Pablo Carreno Busta was unable to duplicate his run from a year ago, forced to retire from his second-round match because of left thigh pain.

Joao Sousa of Portugal led Carreno Busta 4-6 6-3 5-7 6-2 2-0 when the No. 12 seed from Spain had to stop playing.

Carreno Busta reached the semi-finals last year.

Gael Monfils retired in the second set of his match against 2014 runner-up Kei Nishikori because of an injured right wrist.

The 39th-ranked Monfils, a semi-finalist at Flushing Meadows two years ago, was treated by a trainer and had his wrist taped up.

But he unravelled the tape shortly before saying he could not continue.

The Frenchman was trailing 6-2 5-4 when he stopped.


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Source: AAP



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