Andy Murray
Andy Murray of Britain serves to Adrian Mannarino of France during their second round match at the U.S. Open Championships tennis tournament in New York, September 3, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Andy Murray survived scare against Adrian Mannarino 5-7 4-6 6-1 6-3 6-1 to reach round three of the 2015 US Open, where he will play Thomaz Bellucci, who advanced after securing straight-sets victory 6-0 6-3 6-4 over qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan on Thursday.

Murray improved his hardcourt record this season 31-7 after his second-round victory over the unseeded Frenchman. After being down in the first two sets, the Scot found his rhythm to claim the next two sets and force a decider. In the fifth set, Murray only needed 22 minutes to emerge victorious and advance in the third round. He fired a total of 21 aces to his opponent’s five. He had 35 unforced errors to Mannarino’s 61.

Up next for the World No. 3 is Bellucci of Brazil, who beat him in their only previous meeting 6-4 6-2 at Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour Masters 1000 series event in Madrid in 2011. Following his second-round victory, Murray admitted that he anticipates a “tough match” against Belluci, who is seeded 30th at the US Open.

“He (Bellucci) likes to try and dictate the points from back,” Murray said, reported ATPWorldTour.com. “So I expect a tough match and one that I’ll need to play very well to win.”

Belluci is making his seventh appearance at Flushing Meadows. He had lost in the second round of the tournament four times (2008 - 2010 and 2014). His last US Open second round defeat came against Stan Wawrinka last year 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-6. Wawrinka also reached round three after beating Korea’s Chung Hyeon on three tiebreak sets 7-6 7-6 7-6 at Louis Armstrong Stadium also on Thursday.

The 27-year-old Brazilian have previously played top 10 players this season including Novak Djokovic in the second round of the hardcourt event in Montreal. Belluci won one title this season, his fourth overall, at the ATP 250 event in Geneva when he beat Joao Souza in the final 7-6 6-4 of the claycourt tournament.

Belluci owns a 1-0 advantage in his head-to-head series with Murray. The winner of their match will play either Kevin Anderson or Dominic Thiem for a spot in the last 16.

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