The second seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal is through to the fourth round at the US Tennis Open after outslugging Argentina's David Nalbandian 7-6 6-1 7-5.
Nadal paid tribute to his friend and regular practice partner after being forced to fight hard in the first and third sets.
The Spaniard's next opponent will be Gilles Muller from Luxembourg.
In the womens draw the Italian tennis player Flavia Pennetta has pulled off another upset.
The 26th seed followed up her win over Maria Sharapova with a straight sets win over China's 13th seed Peng Shuai 6-4 7-6.
