Andy Murray had an uncomfortable time once again on Flushing Meadows’ Louis Armstrong court before seeing off Leonardo Mayer to reach the third round of the US Open.
The Scot has often played well below his best in the tight surroundings of the tournament’s second court and it was the same on Friday night as he was given a torrid time by Argentinian Mayer before digging out a 7-5 6-1 3-6 6-1 victory.
After losing the third set, it looked like it could be very uncomfortable indeed for Murray, but he eventually pulled away to set up a last-32 meeting with another Mayer, Germany’s Florian.
The defending champion said: “It was a very tough match. We both ran a lot and it was very humid, I’m glad I managed to fight through in the fourth set.
“I was serving a little better as the match went on. He’s a big hitter, I had to defend a lot. I think he played some really good tennis. It made for an entertaining match. He’s had quite a few injuries the last few years, he’s a very tough player.”
Murray may wonder what he has done to upset tournament organisers after following up his late-night start on Wednesday with a trip to his least favourite major court.
He is the first of the big four men to leave the wide open spaces of Arthur Ashe, with Armstrong the scene of his most recent early grand slam loss here in 2010 to Stanislas Wawrinka, while he has struggled against Robin Haase, Feliciano Lopez and Marin Cilic over the past two years.
Murray said: “It’s a court I haven’t played my best tennis on, that’s for sure. And I think the conditions, well, it’s day and night, isn’t it? It’s completely different.
“The ball was bouncing extremely high out there at the beginning, and he’s a big hitter of the ball. He served big, too, bigger than I thought. Big second serve, too. It took me some time to get used to his game.
“I’ve had some tough matches there in the past, and today was the same.”
But Murray refused to complain, saying: “I’m happy to play on any court. It doesn’t really make a huge difference. We got a great crowd out there. It was a really good atmosphere from pretty much the first point through to the last.
“Whether or not I’ve played well on that court, it’s always a really good atmosphere.”