By Karl Plume
NEW YORK (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 forehand for the winner.
Zverev cruised through the third set, closing out the match with a final ace.
(Reporting by Karl Plume in New York; editing by Clare Fallon)
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