NEW YORK -- Quickly putting aside one poor set, defending champion Andy Murray finished strongly and beat 81st-ranked Leonardo Mayer of Argentina 7-5, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the U.S. Open's third round.
After dropping the third set, then opening the fourth 1-all, the No. 3-seeded Murray powered his way to the last five games on Friday.
It's his 26th consecutive victory in a second-round Grand Slam match. Murray's last loss at that stage came in his U.S. Open debut in 2005.
Last year in New York, Murray became the first British man since 1936 to win a major tournament, snapping an 0-4 mark in Grand Slam finals. He added a second major trophy at Wimbledon last month.
Mayer is 0-12 against top 10 opponents.