New York: Eighth-seeded Andy Murray overcame a mid-match lull and beat 96th-ranked Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia 6-1, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 on Saturday in the US Open's third round.
Murray, who dealt with severe cramping in his first-round victory Monday, awkwardly pulled up after some shots in the third set, wincing and grimacing occasionally. He double-faulted to get broken and drop that set.
But Murray went up a break at 2-1 in the fourth and held on from there.Murray, the 2012 champion at Flushing Meadows, is into the fourth round of the US Open seven times in the last 10 years. He has not reached the final at any tournament since winning Wimbledon in July 2013.
Novak Djokovic needed all of 15 minutes to take the first five games against Sam Querrey, sending the top-seeded Serb on his way to the US Open's fourth round for the eighth year in a row.
Djokovic's routine 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory Saturday put him in the round of 16 at a 22nd consecutive Grand Slam tournament. Djokovic counts the 2011 U.S. Open among his seven major titles and has played in the past four finals at Flushing Meadows.
He had no trouble handling the big serves of Querrey, breaking the former top-20 player seven times in the 1-hour, 26-minute match. Querrey's exit leaves one American man in the draw: 13th-seeded John Isner, who was to face No. 22 Philipp Kohlschreiber later Saturday, with the winner meeting Djokovic next.
Japan's Kei Nishikori advanced to the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3, victory over Leonardo Mayer of Argentina. The 10th-seeded Nishikori, who has not made it past the fourth round in five previous U.S. Open appearances, showed no sign of a big toe injury that hampered his preparations for Flushing Meadows.
Nishikori next faces fifth-seeded Milos Raonic, a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) winner over Victor Estrella Burgos, who at 34 was the oldest man left in the draw.
Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka got a walkover into the fourth round on Saturday when Blaz Kavcic pulled out due to an injured right foot just before their scheduled match.
The Slovenian said he had pain in the ball of his foot that neither trainers nor doctors could relieve. "There was not even a one percent chance I could play. The pain was too great," said Kavcic, who eliminated Jeremy Chardy in straight sets in the second round Thursday.
The third-seeded Wawrinka, a semi-finalist in last year's U.S. Open, next plays the winner of the match between Tommy Robredo and 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios.
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