NEW YORK — Third seed Andy Murray finally enjoyed a straight-forward win after two earlier battles to advance to the fourth round of the U.S. Open with a 6-3 6-2 7-5 victory over Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci on Saturday.
Murray, who won his first major at the 2012 U.S. Open a year before winning Wimbledon, had fought back from two sets down to beat France's Adrian Mannarino in the second round after needing four sets to beat Australian Nick Kyrgios in his opening match.
A routine win on a cool, comfortable night after a week of stifling heat gave Murray, who has also battled a head cold, the last berth in the fourth round and should prime the Scotsman for the pressures of the later stages at the year's last grand slam.