Top players survive the heat and advance at U.S. Open

Reporting from New York â€”  Despite the heat reaching into the high 80s and extreme humidity, advances mostly came easily for the top players in the U.S. Open here Thursday.

Five-time champion and second-seeded Roger Federer waltzed through in straight sets over Steve Darcis of Belgium, 6-1, 6-2, 6-1, but he got a break with a night match.

His fellow Swiss player, Stan Wawrinka played for 3 hours 2 minutes in the heat of the day and managed to win in three tiebreakers. He beat Hyeon Chung of South Korea, in three sets, 7-6 (2), 7-6, (4), 7-6 (6).

Top U.S. player John Isner, playing on the Louis Armstrong Stadium court right after Wawrinka, joined the march into the third round with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over formidable Russian player Mikhail Youzhny. Isner had lost his previous two matches with Youzhny.

Longtime U.S. prospect Donald Young kept going into the third round, also going almost three hours in the heat before beating Aljaz Bedene of Great Britain, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Young, 26, has had many attempts in major tournaments, and many frustrations.

“This one is totally different,� he said. “I’m a little older. I’ve had lots of ups and downs. I’ve put in some work.�

Top female players got through the day well too. Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Simona Halep of Romania, both title contenders, advanced in the heat of the day. Azarenka, a two-time major champion (Australian Opens), beat Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium, 7-5, 6-4. Halep, seeded second, got past Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine, 6-3, 6-4.

But there were exceptions to the comfortable advancing. One involved fast-rising U.S. player Jack Sock. Sock, having made his way all the way to No. 28, was leading Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium, two sets to one, and trailing in the fourth set, 1-2, when he collapsed.

He was cramping so badly and was so overcome by heat that medical personnel packed his body in ice on the court and even brought out a wheelchair to take him off.

Sock rejected that, but had to be helped off by two trainers.

Later, the U.S. Tennis Assn., issued a statement that said Sock was recovering and was already looking forward to playing in the next U.S. Davis Cup match. That will be Sept. 18 in Uzbekistan, in a world group playoff match.

Less serious, but also scary, was Andy Murray’s start to his match against Adrian Mannarino of France. Murray quickly found himself behind, 5-7, 4-6. But in the heat of the day, he fought back and won in five sets, taking the last three, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.

“I just had to kind of tell myself, I’d get there eventually,� Murray said. “I managed to turn it around.�

Murray, the king of dry British sarcasm, was asked about leaning on his racket late in the 3-hour 17-minute match.

“I wasn’t bending over because I was out of breath,� he said. “I was bending over because I was tired…. That’s what I think a lot of people do when they are out of breath or tired.�

Fourth-seeded women’s player Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark lost in the final match of the night to Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (1).

[email protected]

Twitter: @DwyreLATimes