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US Open: Rafael Nadal recovers to battle into second week in New York

Nadal was made to work hard in the opening two sets
Image: Rafael Nadal defeated Leonardo Mayer in four sets

Rafael Nadal recovered from a set down against Argentinian lucky loser Leonardo Mayer to continue his bid for a third US Open title.

The world No 1, who has won 15 Grand Slam titles, prevailed 6-7(3) 6-3 6-1 6-4 after he initially struggled to cope with the accurate and powerful ball striking by Mayer in the first set and lost out in a tiebreak with Mayer resisting several break point opportunities along the way.

Nadal had to wait until his fourteenth break point of the match before eventually breaking through the Argentine's resistance on serve, before securing a further break en route to taking the second set.

Spain's Rafael Nadal returns the ball to Argentina's Leonardo Mayer during their 2017 US Open Men's Singles match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Ten
Image: Nadal was made to work hard in the opening two sets

The third set was a one-way affair with the Spaniard securing two breaks of serve in a 27-minute set to take the initiative in the encounter.

Nadal then secured a double break lead in the fourth set only to be broken by Mayer when serving for the match at 5-2 but the top seed regained his composure to secure victory at the second opportunity and book a fourth-round meeting with Alexandr Dolgopolov.

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 31:  Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine returns a shot against Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic in their second round Men's Singles match
Image: Alexandr Dolgopolov will now meet world No 1 Rafael Nadal

Dolgopolov, who is under investigation for suspicious betting activity in a match he played in at the Winston-Salem Open last week, defeated Serbian Viktor Troicki on Saturday.

The unseeded Ukrainian progressed 6-1 6-0 6-4 and secured his first appearance in the fourth round of a Grand Slam since 2011.

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Juan Martin del Potro, the men's 24th seed, cruised into the last 16 with a 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory over Spanish 11th seed Roberto Bautista Agut.

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 02:  Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina reacts against Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in their third round Men's Singles match on
Image: Juan Martin del Potro won the US Open title in 2009

Del Potro, who won the US Open in 2009, will next meet Austrian Dominic Thiem and underlined his credentials as a potential champion by firing 14 aces and 38 winners en route to his emphatic victory.

Thiem cruised into the fourth round in New York with a straight-sets victory over 30th seed Adrian Mannarino of France.

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 02:  Dominic Thiem of Austria celebrates his third round match win over Adrian Mannarino of France on Day Six of the 2017 US Open
Image: Dominic Thiem defeated Adrian Mannarino

The sixth seed has now progressed to the fourth round in his last five grand slams, starting with the 2016 US Open, but has progressed past that stage only once, reaching the semi-finals of the French Open and will face a stern challenge in the popular Argentine.

Philipp Kohlschreiber secured a 7-5 6-2 6-2 victory over John Millman and awaits the winner of the third-round encounter between Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez, who meet in the night session on the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 02:  Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany celebrates defeating John Millman of Australia during their third round Men's Singles match
Image: Philipp Kohlschreiber defeated John Millman of Australia in the third round

Belgian ninth seed David Goffin booked his place in the fourth round with a comfortable victory over Gael Monfils after the Frenchman was forced to retire with an injury when trailing 5-1 in the second set after Goffin had won a hard-fought opening set 7-5.

Goffin will face 19-year-old Andrey Rublev, who ended Grigor Dimitrov's hopes in the second round, after the NextGen contender defeated Damir Dzumhur 6-4 6-4 5-7 6-4 to join Denis Shapovalov as the only two teenagers to reach the fourth round at the US Open since Del Potro and Kei Nishikori in 2008.

VOTE: US Open Men's Winner
VOTE: US Open Men's Winner

We've picked 10 names who all have a shout of walking away with the US Open men's title on Sunday, September 10. All you have to do is pick your favourite.

Sky Sports Tennis will have all the action from the US Open covered via our website www.skysports.com/tennis with our live blogs and updates throughout the fortnight as the Grand Slam year reaches its climax.

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