Sharjah24 - Reuters: Germany's Alexander Zverev fought through to the U.S. Open's third round on Wednesday, dispatching Alexandre Muller 6-4 7-6(5) 6-1 on a sweltering Louis Armstrong Stadium court.
The big-serving fourth seed blasted 15 aces and employed a drop-shot finesse at the net to preserve his hopes of capturing a career-first major after a runner-up finish at Roland Garros.
Zverev proved too much for world No. 77 Muller, who committed 41 unforced errors and battled through an apparent leg injury in brutal temperatures and high humidity at Flushing Meadows.
The German came out firing after a shaky round-one performance, breaking Muller's serve in the first game before ultimately claiming the back-and-forth first set.
Clutching his upper right leg, Muller left the court for a lengthy medical time-out between sets but returned with a vengeance.
The resilient Frenchman stood two points from taking the second set but the world No. 4 fought back to take the final five points of a tiebreak, blasting a line-hugging backhand for the winner.
Zverev cruised through the third set, closing out the match with a final ace.
The win sets up a clash in the next round with Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry, whom Zverev beat in four sets at Roland Garros last year but who played a four-hour, five-set match in brutal heat on Wednesday.
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