Andy Murray looks over the net slightly quizzically.

Has Paolo Lorenzi had an infusion of elastic? The Italian is reaching balls from the end of the worlds.

Murray takes his foot off the metal, chopping and slicing, asking Lorenzi if he wants to take the initiative in rallies.

That seems to pay off and Murray has a break at the start of the third set.

But that is exactly how he started the second remember...

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Russell Fuller
BBC tennis correspondent in New York

The plan was to switch to commentary on Dan Evans' match, which is going with serve in the first set, but Andy Murray remains desperately out of sorts. 

However, Lorenzi was magnificent in the second set and played some fabulous tennis. He has exceptional defence, is the world number 40 and is having the season of his life, but given his near five-hour match on Thursday it's an incredible effort.

Murray is in a funk and it's quite hard to see what the issue is.

Not quite in a tailspin just yet, but Andy Murray knows he is deep in a dogfight now.

Paolo Lorenzi lures him long, pumps his fist to his box and, after 115 minutes of play, is as close to the fourth round as Murray. 

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The rally of the match so far.

Heck, the rally of the tournament perhaps.

And it is Paolo Lorenzi's cat-like reflexes that triumphs over Andy Murray's scurrying.

The fans are off their feet. Lorenzi is 0-30 up.

Make that 15-40.

Two set points Lorenzi.

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Paul Newman
Tennis correspondent for the Independent on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Lorenzi's performance is a good indication of the strength in depth of the men's game. He's never made much of an impact in the 13 or 14 years he's been around but what a player he is. The standard is so high at the moment. 

Lorenzi knows what he is doing because he's been around so long and he is playing excellent tennis.

Paolo Lorenzi whoops with delight as an Andy Murray forehand trampolines off the wire and wide to ensure that he will have another tie-break shot at the very least at the world number two.

Great wheels on the Italian - he is reaching even the hardest slugged of Murray's groundstrokes and recovering his ground sharply.

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Paul Newman
Tennis correspondent for the Independent on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Murray is being pretty vocal and you can sense his frustration from his body language.

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Paolo Lorenzi is still beetling around the court at some lick.

Andy Murray finally manoeuvres him out of position though to level up the second-set scoreboard.

Ivan Lendl, expression set to his usual impenetrable trout pout, watches on.

Somewhere inside the old war horse though there must be something approaching emotions churning.

His man has been pegged back from 40-15 up to deuce. Lorenzi is successive points away from the second set.

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Andy Murray nails a vicious forehand across court to bring to an end a 42-shot rally in which he soaked up and spun back before stepping in and racking up two break points at 15-40.

Lorenzi creaking.

Murray breaking back.

The Italian dumps a forehand into the net and the demons that gnaw when he gets in front on the scoreboard are back again.

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Andy Murray holds up his end of the bargain, swinging the spotlight back on Paolo Lorenzi.

The Italian could not serve out for the first set.

Can he do it in the second?

Crikey.

Do not adjust your internets.

Dan Evans has come out onto Louis Armstrong in a flourescent cherry number.

Stan Wawrinka, on the opposite side of the net, is wearing a shirt that looks like the stomach contents of someone with a serious Mountain Dew addiction.

They are about to get going.

Paolo Lorenzi is bouncing like he has helium in his heels.

Andy Murray is dragging his disconsolate limbs back to his stool.

The Scot made an absolute Horlicks of a simple smash in that game, inexplicably patting wide.

He looks completely exasperated by his own form.

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Paul Newman
Tennis correspondent for the Independent on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Hats off to Paolo Lorenzi. He has done everything you could have asked of him, especially after playing five sets in a second-round match that took so much out of him.

Paolo Lorenzi puts the skids under Andy Murray again.

The Scot is backfiring like an old banger, especially on serve, and a double fault hands Lorenzi the break point on a platter.

The Murray Monologues would be a long and X-rated production if they ever made the transition to Broadway.

A new act is being written in this match.

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Dangerous Dan Evans - the British number two, the world number 64 - is striding onto the Louis Armstrong surface.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka is the man barring the way to the fourth round.

Paul Newman
Tennis correspondent for the Independent on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Murray hasn't quite got it right when to draw the trigger. He's probably missed the line by fractions about 15-20 times.

There are times when he makes maybe three, four unforced errors in a set, It's totally unlike him to make the amount he's making here.  

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Paolo Lorenzi is full of hustle and bustle - guarding every inch of his side of the net like Andy Murray is launching some sort of turf war with by putting the ball back in play.

It looks like all those years on the Challenger Tour have pickled him hard like a conker in vinegar.

He is still very much in this second set.

Meanwhile over on Arthur Ashe, Andy Murray levels up and steadies the ship with a love hold.

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Juan Martin del Potro was thrilled to reach the last 16.

"This atmosphere means so much to me and it makes me happy to be here," he said. "I don't mind if I win or lose, I just want to play tennis again after so many problems.

"I am looking forward to going far in this tournament but I'm trying to take it step by step. I want to thank everyone for their support. Muchas gracias!"