New York: Juan Martin del Potro had little trouble moving on in his quest for another US Open title.
The 18th-seeded Argentine beat countryman Diego Junqueira 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 on Friday to advance to the third round. The 2009 champion was unable to defend his title last year because of wrist surgery.
While del Potro had little trouble, last year's women's runner-up, No. 2 Vera Zvonareva, needed two hours to defeat No. 30 Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-4, 7-5.
The Zvonareva match in Ashe ended a long streak of lopsided affairs on the US Open show court.
On Thursday, five matches produced five blowouts, in which the losers combined to win a total of 14 games.
No. 1 Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Berlocq 6-0, 6-0, 6-2 to close out the day.
"One of the guys, on the way out, said, 'Listen, I paid 100 bucks and you're only staying for an hour and a half on the court. Give me something else. Give me a racket or something'," Djokovic said.
Other winners on Thursday included No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and No. 28 Serena Williams on the women's side and No. 3 Roger Federer on the men's side. In the best match of the day, in Louis Armstrong Stadium, No. 7 Gael Monfils lost to 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4.
After dealing with injuries all year, Ferrero — a former world No. 1 — is making his first appearance at a major in 2011. He has won two five-setters.
"This match means a lot for me because it was a long time that I didn't enjoy myself inside the court," Ferrero said.
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