US Open 2011 Results: Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro Advance to Round of 64

When we look back on Day 3 of the 2011 U.S. Open, on some day in the distant future, odds are the one thing that is going to stick out will be Venus Williams' sudden and shocking withdrawal.

That is indeed the big story, but on the men's side of things, the third day of the year's final Grand Slam saw a couple of notables advance to the round of 64.

On the one hand, world No. 4 Andy Murray was able to defeat Somdev Devvarman 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-3 to punch his ticket to the second round. It may seem like a small step, but Murray is still looking for the first Grand Slam of his career. Any step he successfully completes is a big one.

Meanwhile, Juan Martin del Potro already has a U.S. Open win to his name. That came in 2009, and he had to defeat both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to get it. But on Wednesday, he merely had to defeat Filippo Volandri 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 to make it to the second round.

Before long, both Murray and del Potro will be fighting to move on to the third round. But for now, let's take a closer look at how they got this far.

Murray Recap

Despite the fact he was facing an unseeded opponent, Murray didn't exactly get off to the best of starts against Devvarman. The first set was a back-and-forth affair in which Murray seemed to be having a hard time figuring out how to play Devvarman. Nevertheless, he was able to battle back to force a tiebreak, and would go on to take the first set.

After that, it was pretty smooth sailing for Murray. It took him over an hour to wrap up the first set, but he was able to wrap up the next two in a timely manner.

On the whole, it was far from a perfect match for Murray, a point evidenced by his 44 unforced errors. But after the first set, Devvarman simply didn't have an answer for the 24-year-old Scot.

Del Potro Recap

Thanks to a wrist injury, del Potro was unable to defend his title in last year's U.S. Open. But in his return to action against Volandri, he looked very much like the player who took the tournament by storm in 2009.

The first set was relatively balanced, but del Potro was able to break serve midway through. It was at that point that he had the match in his pocket. He took the first set 6-3, and then took the next two 6-1, 6-1.

By the end of the proceedings, the stats showed 38 winners for del Potro. Volandri had nine. The word "dominant" certainly applies.

Next Up for Murray

In the second round, Murray is going to take on Robin Haase, a 24-year-old Dutchman who dispatched Rui Machado 6-0, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round. The two have crossed paths once before, and that was back at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in 2008. Haase won.

Next Up for del Potro

As a reward for easily taking care of Volandri, del Potro will be matched up against an opponent who had an even easier time of things in the first round. That would be fellow Argentinian Diego Junqueira, who played one set against Karol Beck before Beck had to retire.