2015 US Open bracket update: Roger Federer cruises, Andy Murray avoids upset

Thursday at the 2015 US Open was a stellar day for both singles No. 2 seeds, as both Roger Federer and Simona Halep wasted little time with their second-round opponents, while Andy Murray needed a dramatic comeback to avoid an upset.

Men’s No. 2 seed Federer used 11 aces and 46 winners to dispatch Steve Darcis 6-1, 6-2, 6-1, the 16th consecutive year Federer has reached the third round at Flushing Meadows. Federer is searching for his first Grand Slam win winning Wimbledon in 2012. The five-time US Open champion last won the tournament in 2008.

Federer will next face Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber, the No. 29 seed, in the third round.

The women’s No. 2 seed Halep defeated Kateryna Bondarenko 6-3, 6-4. Halep’s best finish at the US Open was in 2013, when the Romanian advanced to the fourth round. To get that far again, Halep will have to beat American Shelby Rogers, a 6-4, 6-4 winner on Thursday over Kurumi Nara.

Murray, the men’s No. 3 seed, dropped the first two sets against Adrian Mannarino, but wasn’t really challenged over the last three sets, surviving with a 5-7, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 victory. Murray, the 2012 US Open champion, will advance to play No. 30 Tomaz Bellucci.

No. 2 Roger Federer def. Steve Darcis, 6-1, 6-2, 6-1
No. 3 Andy Murray def. Adrian Mannarino, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1
No. 5 Stan Wawrinka def. Hyeon Chung, 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 7-6(6)
No. 6 Tomas Berdych def. Jurgen Melzer, 7-6(2), 6-1, 6-3
No. 12 Richard Gasquet def. Robin Haase, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-4
No. 13 John Isner def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
No. 15 Kevin Anderson def. Austin Krajicek, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
No. 20 Dominic Thiem def. Denis Istomin, 6-4, 6-4, 1-0 ret.
Jiri Vesely def. No. 21 Ivo Karlovic, 7-6(3), 3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(4)
No. 22 Victor Troicki def. Rajeev Ram, 7-6(10),6-4, 3-6, 6-3
No. 24 Bernard Tomic def. Lleyton Hewitt, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5
Ruben Bemalmans def. No. 28 Jack Sock, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 2-1 (retired)
No. 29 Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Lukas Rosol, 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-2
No. 30 Thomas Bellucci def.. Yoshihito Nishioka, 6-0, 6-3, 6-4
No. 31 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Nicolas Mahut, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-1

No. 2 Simona Halep def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-3, 6-4
Petra Cetkovska def. No. 4 Caroline Wozniacki, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(1)
No. 5 Petra Kvitova def. Nicole Gibbs, 6-3, 6-4
Johanna Konta def. No. 9 Garbine Muguruza, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-2
No. 11 Angelique Kerber def. Karin Knapp, 7-5, 6-2
No. 16 Sara Errani def. Jelena Ostapenko, 0-6, 6-4, 6-3
No. 18 Andrea Petkovic def. Elena Vesnina, 6-3, 7-6 (4)
No. 20 Victoria Azarenka def. Yanina Wickmayer, 7-5, 6-4
No. 22 Samantha Stosur def. Evgeniya Rodina, 6-1, 6-1
No. 24 Sabine Lisicki def. Camila Giorgi, 6-4, 6-0
No. 26 Flavia Pennetta def. Monica Niculescu, 6-1, 6-4
No. 32 Anna Karolina Schmiedlova vs. Danka Kovinic, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4