Postpublished at 18:05 British Summer Time 30 August 2014
It's Murray to serve first, as clouds scuttle across Louis Armstrong, bringing blessed relief from the sun...
Summary
Murray beats Kuznetsov 6-1 7-5 4-6 6-2
Kuznetsov is ranked 96 in the world & had never played Murray before
Winner will play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Pablo Carreno Busta
Postpublished at 18:05 British Summer Time 30 August 2014
Postpublished at 18:03 British Summer Time 30 August 2014
Players are knocking up now on Armstrong and Murray has gone with white shirt and black shorts, matched with a baseball cap to keep the sun at bay. Kuznetsov, in shocking orange and navy blue, is coming off a brutal five-setter against Fernando Verdasco, in which he won the last two sets. Windy, apparently, in New York, as news reaches me that Novak Djokovic has taken to Arthur Ashe for his match against home favourite Sam Querrey.
Postpublished at 17:58 British Summer Time 30 August 2014
Piers Newbery
BBC Sport at Flushing Meadows"Kuznetsov faced the massed ranks of the British press in cosy Interview Room Two on Thursday evening, and the 23-year-old gave us the lowdown - he's coached by his father, his girlfriend dreamt he would beat Fernando Verdasco, he likes playing the guitar, and no, he wouldn't give us a tune. Polite and shy off the court, he plays an aggressive game of flat hitting that will test Murray's defence and second serve."
Postpublished at 17:57 British Summer Time 30 August 2014
Miles Maclagan
Former coach to Andy Murray on BBC Radio 5 live Sports Extra"It is two contrasting tournaments. The women's seeds are dropping and the men are going on solidly. There is going to come a time when we see new Grand Slam champions and I think we will see that first on the women's side."
Postpublished at 17:55 British Summer Time 30 August 2014
BBC Radio 5 live
The above graphic shows Andy Murray's potential path to US Open glory. Or, in the interest of balance, Andrey Kuznestov's.
Postpublished at 17:54 British Summer Time 30 August 2014
Image source, APWhat know we of Andrey Kuznetsov? Well, he was born in Tula, Russia, in 1991, plays right-handed and has won $766,864 in his career, not bad for somebody who has never reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament and never won an ATP Tour event. However, he won the boys' singles at Wimbledon in 2009 and recorded his first win over a top-10 player at SW12 this year, when he saw off Spain's David Ferrer in five sets. In short, he's got game.
Postpublished at 17:48 British Summer Time 30 August 2014
Piers Newbery
BBC Sport at Flushing Meadows"Murray returns to one of his least favourite arenas, the scene of his last exit at a Grand Slam before the quarter-finals in 2010. He has won plenty of times on Armstrong, but Monday's cramp attack is the freshest memory and conditions are warm again - although not as oppressive as earlier in the week. Murray has apparently taken to pilfering bags of salt from the player restaurant to add to his meticulously regulated fluid intake. Marginal gains, and all that."
Postpublished at 17:48 British Summer Time 30 August 2014
Good day. Remarkable scenes on Louis Armstrong as Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia wraps up a straight sets victory over reigning Wimbledon champion and third seed Petra Kvitova. Krunic has some engine. Next up it's Britain's Andy Murray, who is playing Russia's world number 96 Andrey Kuznetsov in the third round. They have never played each other before, but Murray is a hot, hot favourite. Stand by.