Big guns Rafa, Fedex battle into last 32

New York: Former champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal battled into the US Open last 32 on Thursday while the women’s draw lost the fifth seed from its top eight.

Federer recorded his 80th career win in New York but he needed five sets for the second successive match before claiming a 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Mikhail Youzhny. It was his 17th win in 17th meetings with the grizzled Russian, who, at 35, is his junior by just one year.

World number one Nadal, meanwhile, saw off Japan’s world 121 Taro Daniel 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 after being blown off court in the first set. Federer, 36, and the five-time champion at the US Open, next faces another 35-year-old, Feliciano Lopez of Spain, for a place in the last 16. His record against Lopez is just as solid — 12-0.

“It was quite a lot of fun out there — I feel quite warmed up by now,” said Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Federer, who fired 63 winners and 68 unforced errors. Youzhny admitted he had cramped, which meant he could move left to right but not forward and back. Top seed Nadal, the 2010 and 2013 champion, was rocked by New York-born Daniel in the first set.

But Daniel, who has never beaten a top-10 player, paid the price for his all-out assault as Nadal prevailed to book a third round date with Argentine lucky loser Leonardo Mayer. “All the matches are difficult but especially here as everyone wants to play their best and if you don’t play your best it will be very difficult,” said Nadal, who recovered from a set and break down.

Andrey Rublev became the second teenager to make the third round when he stunned Bulgarian seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3. 

Women play longest match 
A record was set when American Shelby Rogers and 25th-seeded Austra-lian Daria Gavrilova played out the longest ever women’s singles match.

Their 3hr 33min clash saw Rogers win 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5). Their second-round tie went past the previous longest of the 3 hours and 23 minutes it took Johanna Konta to beat Garbine Muguruza in the second round two years ago.

Bopanna, Mirza enter second round 
Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza began their campaigns with victories in their respective events.

Bopanna and Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas beat USA’s Bradley Klahn and Scott Lipksy 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in men’s doubles event.

In the women’s doubles, Sania and China’s Shuai Peng overcame Petra Martic and Donna Vekic of Croatian 6-4, 6-1 in the opener.