New York: Twice defending champion Roger Federer and 2003 winner Justine Henin-Hardenne used different paths to advance at the US Open on Friday.
On a chilly day at Flushing Meadows, top seed Federer was not at his best but still eased past Briton Tim Henman 6-3 6-4 7-5 in a workmanlike second-round match.
Henin-Hardenne, however, needed to recover from a disastrous first set to defeat Japanese 28th seed Ai Sugiyama 4-6 6-1 6-0 and move on to the fourth round.
Under overcast skies with a threat of rain, there were few upsets at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Among the legion of winners were sixth seed and 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova on the women's side and Andy Murray, Carlos Moya and Robby Ginepri on the men's.
Top seeded Federer blasted only six aces and never seemed to fire on all cylinders but proved to be in a different league than the 31-year-old Henman.
"I think the conditions were tough today, breezy, chilly," said Federer, who has yet to lose a set in his two matches.
"Henman was trying to kind of break the rhythm, as usual. So it makes it hard to really play well and get the good rhythm going. I think it could have been easier but it could also have been tougher. I thought it was a solid match because I didn't give him any chances on my own service games and that's what I wanted to do from the start."
Henin-Hardenne committed an uncharacteristic 17 unforced errors in the first set and squandered a 4-1 lead as Sugiyama broke her serve three times.
But the gritty Belgian found her form in the final two sets to subdue the 31-year-old Japanese journeywoman without much of a fight.
"I was leading pretty easily in the first set," Henin-Hardenne said.
"I didn't have the feeling that I was moving well at the time, and I lost a little bit my intensity. The conditions were pretty difficult. When I lost the first set, I understood I had no more choice than winning the next two, and so be very focused on every point. Then I played a very, very solid tennis."
Kuznetsova rolled on to the fourth round with a 59-minute 6-3 6-0 whipping of Russian compatriot Anastassia Rodionova.
Next up for the 21-year-old Kuznetsova will be 19th seed Jelena Jankovic, who scored a mild upset when she beat ninth seed Nicole Vaidisova 5-7 6-3 6-2.
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