Andy Murray’s grand slam comeback ended with a 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-4 loss to Fernando Verdasco in the second round of the US Open.
Britain has no singles players left after Cameron Norrie was also beaten in four sets by Dusan Lajovic, but the title favourites continued to make comfortable progress.
Serena and Venus Williams will face each other for the 30th time when they meet in the third round on Friday, while Rafael Nadal eased past Vasek Pospisil and through to a third-round meeting with Karen Khachanov.
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Blistering heat
Defending champion Sloane Stephens fought off a stern challenge from qualifier Anhelina Kalinina to reach the third round as she extended her winning run at Flushing Meadows to nine matches.
The American then went into rather too much detail about the blister problems she is having.
“I never had a blister on my hand ever, and now I’ve gotten three,” she said. “It just opened. Then it was, like, flapping everywhere. It was real gross. But it’s fine now.”
Bringing the noise
Australia’s Ashleigh Barty and Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic found their match interrupted in bizarre fashion on Court 17.
As they sat down for the changeover after nine games of the first set, a loud noise began to bellow out of the PA system.
Play was halted for more than seven minutes while officials tried to fix the problem, with both players and the crowd covering their ears.
“It was very strange,” Barty said to the Australian media, after eventually winning 7-5 6-3. “I don’t think Lucie and I have ever come across anything like that before.”
Thursday highlights
Novak Djokovic will hope for a more comfortable second-round match when he takes on American Tennys Sandgren in the night session.
The Wimbledon champion struggled in the intense heat on Tuesday before rallying to beat Marton Fucsovics, and temperatures are expected to be a little lower with the possibility of some rain.
Roger Federer plays in the day against Benoit Paire and, on the women’s side, Maria Sharapova takes on Sorana Cirstea while Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber are also in action.
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