US Open 2015: Andy Murray breezes past Thomaz Bellucci in third round victory

Andy Murray has booked his place in the fourth round of the US Open after a comfortable victory over Thomaz Bellucci in straight sets. The victory means Murray will next meet the 6ft 8in Kevin Anderson.

After an exhausting five-set win over Adrian Mannarino in sweltering conditions on Thursday, Murray recovered after dropping his opening service game to ease to a 6-3 6-2 7-5 win against Brazilian Bellucci. The third seed will meet South African's Kevin Anderson on Monday 7 September.

Murray struggled during his gruelling battle with Mannarino but showed no signs of that in much cooler conditions at Flushing Meadows, although he did endure early frustration in his opening service game. After falling 2-0 behind however he swiftly hit back, seeing out the opening set without falling behind again.

A double fault from Bellucci allowed Murray to break again in the second set, but his Brazilian opponent provided a sterner fight back in the decider. Tied at 5-5, Murray was made to wait for his break but would secure it at the third time of asking before serving out for the win.

"It was a lot cooler tonight, easier to return, tougher to serve and, because of that, there were a lot of long rallies," Murray said. "He plays with confidence when he's ahead. When he got a break I was a bit worried, but I got the break straight back. I used my variety a lot to make it tough for him.

"It's very important to get a quick win. The last match [coming from two sets down to beat Adrian Mannarino] was tough physically and mentally."

Murray holds a 5-1 lead over fourth round opponent Anderson in their head-to-head record but is wary of the challenge of the South African.

"Kevin will be a tough match. He serves extremely well and doesn't give you too many chances."