Federer, Djokovic sail through

Roger Federer on Thursday set-up a US Open third round clash against Nick Kyrgios who found himself at the centre of an impartiality row after an umpire climbed down from his chair to tell him: “I want to help you”.

Second seed and five-time champion Federer, 37, made it 18 wins in 18 second round appearances in New York by seeing off error-plagued Frenchman Benoit Paire 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

“I think it’s always tricky against Benoit, never quite the same point. Sometimes he plays very deep in the court, then he plays up in the court,” said Federer.

Also going through were Wimbledon champion and two-time US Open winner Novak Djokovic as well as Maria Sharapova, the 2006 champion in New York.

However, women’s second seed Caroline Wozniacki was knocked out by Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine.

Kyrgios reached the third round by seeing off France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 6-0.

Djokovic downed Tennys Sandgren of the United States 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-2.

Next up for sixth seed Djokovic is Richard Gasquet of France who he has beaten 12 times in 13 meetings.

German third seed Alexander Zverev made the third round for the first time in four tries after a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory over lucky loser Nicolas Mahut.

Australian Open champion Wozniacki went down 6-4, 6-2 to world number 36 Tsurenko who claimed a second top 10 win this month having also defeated Garbine Muguruza in Cincinnati.

“She played the game I should have played,” said two-time runner-up Wozniacki who has endured a Grand Slam letdown since winning in Australia.

She lost in the fourth round at Roland Garros and exited in the second round at Wimbledon. She follows top seed Simona Halep, a first round loser, out of the tournament.

Sharapova took her night time record at the tournament to 21 wins in 21 matches with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Sorana Cirstea of Romania.

Stephens through

Defending champion Sloane Stephens reached the fourth round with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Victoria Azarenka.

Angelique Kerber kept her bid for a second US Open title on track, outlasting Sweden’s Johanna Larsson 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

Thanks to her comprehensive victory over US great Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final she returned to the Big Apple back in the top five in the world, aiming to join Serena and her sister Venus as the only women in the last 20 years to win both Wimbledon and the US Open in the same season.

Kerber was cruising with a 5-2 lead in the second set when Larsson, seeking a first win over a top-five player, found her range.

Larsson won the next five games -- fending off two match points against her own serve -- to take the second set.

It was a dogfight the rest of the way in a third set that featured five breaks of serve.

Kerber secured the last one for a 5-4 lead and after falling behind 0-30 roared back to take the game on her third match point, letting out a cry of mingled triumph and relief when Larsson sent a groundstroke long. Kerber will next take on Dominika Cibulkova after the Slovakian beat Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-4 despite being docked two points for returning late from a heat break.

Results: Prefix denotes seedings: Second round: Men: 7-Marin Cilic (CRO) bt Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 6-2, 6-0, 6-0; 10-David Goffin (BEL) bt Robin Haase (NED) 6-2, 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 6-2; 13-Diego Schwartzman (ARG) bt Jaume Munar (ESP) 6-2, 6-0, 5-7, 6-2; 21-Kei Nishikori (JPN) bt Gael Monfils (FRA) 6-2, 5-4 -- retired; 6-Novak Djokovic (SRB) bt Tennys Sandgren (USA) 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-2; João Sousa (POR) bt 12-Pablo Carreño-Busta (ESP) 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 2-0 - retired; 30-Nick Kyrgios (AUS) bt Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 6-0; 2-Roger Federer (SUI) bt Benoît Paire (FRA) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

Women: 6-Caroline Garcia (FRA) bt Mónica Puig (PUR) 6-2, 1-6, 6-4; 30-Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4; 22-Maria Sharapova (RUS) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROM) 6-2, 7-5; 10-Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) bt Taylor Townsend (USA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; 14-Madison Keys (USA) bt Bernarda Pera (USA) 6-4, 6-1; 4-Angelique Kerber (GER) bt Johanna Larsson (SWE) 6-2, 5-7, 6-4; 5-Petra Kvitova (CZE) bt Wang Yafan (CHN) 7-5, 6-3; 13-Kiki Bertens (NED x13) bt Francesca Di Lorenzo (USA) 6-2, 6-1; Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) bt 2-Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x2) 6-4, 6-2.