Del Potro outmuscles Melzer

Juan Martin Del Potro kept his maiden Grand Slam title dream alive with a straight-sets victory over Jurgen Melzer in New York.

Argentine eases through; Cilic and Ferrero edge five-setters

Juan Martin Del Potro kept his maiden Grand Slam title dream alive with a straight-sets victory over Jurgen Melzer in New York. The sixth seed was made to work in the opening set but responded to record a 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 6-3 win on the Louis Armstrong Stadium to move into the last 32 where he will meet unseeded Austrian Daniel Koellerer. The Argentine has been regarded as a dark horse for the title at Flushing Meadows, and despite losing his booming serve in the opening game of the first set, he battled back before edgind a tie-breaker. That seemed to take the wind out of Melzer's sails and from there on the Austrian never looked like replicating his comeback win over Marat Safin in the previous round. Seeded duo Marin Cilic and Juan Carlos Ferrero both snuck through their second round matches after coming from two sets down to record epic five set wins. Number 16 seed Cilic found himself in danger of exiting New York but fought back in style to beat American wildcard Jesse Levine 4-6 2-6 6-0 6-3 6-0 and faces Denis Istomin for a place in the last 16. Spanish 24th seed Ferrero stared defeat much closer in the face after falling a break behind in the fifth set, but the former US Open finalist prevailed over German Philipp Petzschner, recording a 1-6 3-6 6-4 6-2 6-4 win. Ferrero's reward is an appetising third round match with number nine seed Gilles Simon - a 6-3 6-2 6-4 winner over Thomaz Bellucci on Court 11.