0425: Quite a celebration that from NoDjo, check the gallery to see if I've managed to dig out a pic. Our minds are already turning to day five, which kicks off as usual at 1600 BST, so batten down the hatches for live text coverage of either Andy Murray v Dustin Brown or Hurricane Earl. You don't get these problems at Wimbledon....

0413: It's a topsy turvy tie-break but Novak Djokovic comes through to win 7-5 6-3 7-6 (8-6) after double-faulting on his first match point because he was put off by the crowd. A brilliant rally follows and NoDjo falters with a forehand into the net for 6-6, much to the crowd's delight. Petzsche, who claims he'd be a "rock star" if he wasn't a tennis player, gambles with a big forehand and goes just wide. Match point number three for Djokovic... and Petzsche blasts the return long, provoking an extravagant celebration from the Serb. All good fun.

0402: An easy hold for Djokovic and we're into a third set tie-break....

0358: Djokovic is on the brink once again when a superb backhand on the spin after chasing down a lob gets him to 30-30, and a sharp volley makes it 30-40, but Petzschner plays a magnificent sweeping forehand to get out of trouble and it's 6-5.

0349: Petzsche is in big trouble at 15-40 and is then warned for ball abuse - when will we wake up and stop mistreating tennis balls? - but it seems to spur him on and the German recovers to make it 5-4.

0343: And maybe not.... Djokovic decides now is the time to play a poor game and falls 0-40 down, allowing Petzschner to level at 4-4, much to the amusement of his pal Jurgen Melzer in the stands.

0339: South Africa's Kevin Anderson, commonly known as "Giant" as he's 6ft 8in tall, knocks out Brazlian 26th seed Tomaz Bellucci 6-7 6-4 5-7 6-4 7-6. And Djokovic now has a break in the third, so that one could be done before the hour is out.

0331: Action! China's Shuai Peng, the world number 61, beats ninth seed Agniezska Radwanska 2-6 6-1 6-4, Djokovic fends off a break point with a forehand winner, and Anderson leads the final set tie-break 3-1 against Bellucci.

0322: Petzschner keeps his head above water with a nice volley for 2-1 in the third. Meanwhile, Verdasco's tweet is making me hungry. I've got ryvita but I've run out of houmous. Sounds like a country & western song.

0312: Djokovic serves out the second set easily enough and it's all going a lot more smoothly than most people expected. He leads 7-5 6-3. Peng has a break in the final set against Radwanska at 3-2, and Bellucci and Anderson are 3-3 in their decider.

Fernando Verdasco on Twitter: "Having dinner with all my friends at Campagnola, best italian restaurant in manhattan!"

0302: Djokovic looks very together tonight, while Petzschner appears ready to unravel. The third seed breaks serve to lead by a set and 4-2. It's little Duke I'm worried about, how will he take this? By the way, Radwanska and Peng are locked at 2-2 in the final set in a fairly lengthy match that's lasted 90 minutes already.

0258: I have been thoroughly researching Philipp Petzschner and this is the best I've got. "I have a little dog named Duke, which is as crazy as I am," says the German on his website. Favourite actor? "Jason Statham." I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that.

0253: Djokovic deals brutally with a break point, leaving Petzsche sprawled on the ground after a failed attempt to change direction, and it's 3-2 in the second to the Serb. And Anderson has taken it to a fifth on Court 13 in the big match-up with Belluci.

0244: I'll say one thing for Petzschner, he's not afraid of a futile Hawkeye challenge. Another one only serves to highlight on a massive screen how much he missed the line by and Djokovic leads 2-1 on serve in the second set.

0242: Maria Sharapova says all the right things when asked about facing 18-year-old American Beatrice Capra next. "The great thing about the US Open is to see young Americans doing well," says the Russian. "Not that I consider myself old as a 23-year-old but it's so great to see young players coming up and playing good tennis."

pottiella on Twitter: "Surely Nole's still doing a lot a better than his fashion faux pas' of 2009, where he was Nemo at WTF and Smurf before that?"

0235: A big fist pump from Djokovic as Petzschner lets his level slip at the vital moment, pushing one long on set point to hand it to the Serb, 7-5.

0228: A break point goes begging for Petzschner and Djokovic comes through - despite one woeful line call - to move 6-5 up. Good match, this. Radwanska has dropped the second set 6-1 to Peng so they're into a decider.

0219: The trainer is on for Petzschner and attending to the German's left knee. The pair are chuckling away as the trainer gives it the treatment so presumably it's not that bad. Petzsche heads back out to serve to stay in the set at 5-4 down.

0213: I need a new graphic! Apparently fists are flying in the crowd and play comes to a halt as everyone stares upwards into the towering stands. A real-life fight has broken out. Ah, takes me back.... It's tough on Petzschner as he's 0-30 down at the time, and on the resumption the German is soon facing three break points at 0-40, but he does brilliantly to recover and hold for 4-4.

0206: It's high-quality stuff in the opening exchanges on Ashe, with Petzschner displaying the all-court attacking game and heavy serving that so troubled Nadal at Wimbledon. Djoko is looking sharp too and leads 4-3. Radwanska has the first set on Grandstand and Belluci has moved two sets to one up against Anderson.

0155: I don't mean to be relentlessly negative about people's outfits but Djokovic's red and black number is really not working for me. There, I've said it. He leads 2-1. In the remaining singles matches, Thomaz Bellucci and Kevin Anderson are one set all and 5-5 on Court 13, while ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska leads Shuai Peng 5-1 on Grandstand. Talking of golf just now, Agnieszka has had a recent experience with the grand old game. Fore!

0145: Here they are, Novak Djokovic and Philipp Petzschner are knocking up on Ashe ahead of their first ever meeting. You know about NoDjo, surely, but Petzschner is a 26-year-old German, ranked 52, with one title to his name in nine years on the tour and nicknamed 'Petzsche'. And he likes golf. You might recognise him from an epic five-set loss to Nadal at Wimbledon this summer. I was on Centre Court that day and he was brilliant, should have won.

Daily Mail tennis correspondent Mike Dickson on Twitter: "Balmy night in New York City. Hard to believe we are about to cop it from Hurricane Earl."

From Steve via text: "I'd like to propose a new championship rule. Each match winner MUST perform some kind of freestyle victory dance. Petkovic rules!"

0134: Juan Carlos Ferrero beats Ricardo Mello 6-1 6-4 6-4. Melzer next for the former French Open champ and all round nice guy. Sorry JCF, Maria's in the press room first, you'll just have to wait. Magazine?

0129: After a bit of a kerfuffle, Maria Sharapova wraps up a 6-1 6-2 win over Iveta Benesova and goes on to face American 18-year-old world number 371 Beatrice Capra in round three. It should be easy, but then we thought that last year when she played 17-year-old local Melanie Oudin.

0122: Petkovic is through to the third round in New York for the first time, which hopefully prompted an even more ridiculous dance than this one. Sharapova and Ferrero are closing in on victories, who'll be first in the press room?

0115: It's over on Grandstand and Germany's Andrea Petkovic has beaten Bethanie Mattek-Sands, after the American served for the match, 3-6 6-3 7-5. Petkovic is good value on Twitter, keep 'em peeled for her next update.

From Oli, hants, via text: "Looking through the history books, found a Briton called Wilberforce Eaves, who very nearly won the 1897 US open, losing in five to defending champion Robert Wrenn. Here's to hoping Andy can go one set further."
Thanks Ollie, we're very much hoping for a Fred Perry 1936 kind of fortnight.

0106: Sharapova plays a beauty of a backhand on the run to earn two break points and she takes the second when Benesova goes long - it's 6-1 2-1 to the Russian. The real drama right now is on Grandstand where Petkovic has just broken Mattek-Sands for 5-5 in the decider when the American served for the match.

0058: James Blake beats Peter Polansky 6-7 6-3 6-2 6-4 - a great win for a man contemplating retirement in the near future. It could be Djokovic next for Blake, which could well be a night match

From anon via text: "Mark, that was a total mans description of Venus's outfit-it is actually a halter neck top, designed by herself through her own fashion label."
My apologies, although I'm glad you blamed it on Mark.

0053: Despite a poor first-serve percentage of 43% and 10 unforced errors, Sharapova breaks twice on her way to taking the set 6-1. Much like Clijsters last night, she's doing enough to win comfortably when not playing that well. It helps that Benesova is serving at 39% and has made 16 unforced errors.

Max, Hants, via text: "Must be something in the air around FM as another player getting stroppy - Petkovic in her game against Mattek-Sands gets a warning from the umpire for her use of unsavoury language."

Ellie, Sheffield, via text: "I agree entirely with Jack, I think it will be Sharapova who wins it. I had predicted she'd meet Azarenka in the final but now I'd say Kim."

0037: A whipped cross-court forehand winner gets Sharapova to game point and brings a clenched fist as she goes on to hold for 3-0. She might not be the most naturally gifted player ever but for temperament and sheer force of will among current players, only Nadal stands comparison for me. Blake is closing in on victory at 3-2 with a break in the fourth.

5 live's Jonathan Overend on Twitter: "Blake seems to have turned his match around. Had nice chat with his mum earlier. Betty has written a book with advice for tennis parents."

0031: Don't be alarmed - yet - this is a pre-emptive rain graphic. All the talk in New York is of the impending arrival of Hurricane Earl, and while there are far more potentially serious consequences than having to postpone a few tennis matches, it seems Flushing Meadows could be affected. Andy Murray, remember, is scheduled for around 2000 BST on Friday but that could well change. Back to today and Sharapova breaks for 2-0.

0025: For the record, Benesova is wearing a dress that I'm going to describe as cerise, because it's a word I rarely get to use. More importantly, she pushes Sharapova hard in game one before the Russian comes through from deuce. Sharapova's coach Michael Joyce looks on from the stands. You wouldn't mess with Mike.

Jack from London via text: "I know I'm looking a bit far ahead, but I predict the winner of Sharapova vs Wozniacki in the 4th round to go on to win the tournament. Now that I've said that, Maria will probably get knocked out today..."

0017: Meanwhile....Blake has snaffled the third set to lead Polansky by two sets to one, while Petkovic and Mattek-Sands are into a decider.

0016: BREAKING NEWS: Sharapova is wearing a dark blue dress. It appears to have some sort of dinner jacket-style collar. Message ends.

0012: So here we go, Maria Sharapova and Iveta Benesvoa are out on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the night session. The pair have met twice with the Russian winning both times. Benesova is bidding to reach the third round of a Slam for only the fourth time in 35 attempts but in her last tournament before the US Open, in Montreal, the Czech produced her best career victory by defeating Jelena Jankovic. Thanks for that, WTA.

0006: Austrian 13th seed Jurgen Melzer recovers from being a break down in the final set to beat Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 6-4 6-7 6-3 1-6 7-5 on Court Seven. Next up for Jurgen looks like being Ferrero as the Spaniard leads Mello by a set on Court 11.

2359: The US Open is over for Anne Keothavong as she and Anastasija Sevastova lose 1-6 6-3 6-2 to Timea Bacsinszky & Tathiana Garbin.

2356: Hard to say about NoDjo, everyone seems to be writing him off but it's only a few weeks ago that he played a fantastic semi-final against Federer in Toronto and since then much of his trouble has centred around the heat. The word is that heat will not be a problem from tomorrow and I would still expect him win tonight. A fourth-round match against Mardy Fish would be a belter. Newsflash - Blake breaks for 2-1 in the third.

From Matt, Blackburn, via text: "Evening Piers, curious as to your thoughts of a possible upset later tonight? On his day, Petzschner's got some game and Djoko's blowing hot and cold. Will the cooler temperatures be enough to save him or could he follow berdych, roddick et al onto the scrap heap?"

2348: Roger Federer has been talking about his start to the tournament. "I've got a sense for how the court speed is again. I've got the sense of the crowd and the wind now as well. I played one night, one day. I have all the answers after two matches." He's definitely rattled.

2345: OK, a quick round-up: Blake has levelled at one set all against Polansky on Armstrong, Berankis and Melzer are now 5-5 in the fifth, and Juan Carlos Ferrero has just got under way and leads Ricardo Mello 3-0 on Court 11. Mattek-Sands leads Petkovic by a set and 3-2 on serve on Grandstand.

2337: I'm a big fan, Maria, but you're barking up the wrong tree if you think I'm heading to Tiffany's (*other vendors of competitively-priced jewellery are available) in the near future. Back to the action and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, normally most notable for her wacky outfits, is a set up against the talented Andrea Petkovic on Grandstand, while Keothavong & Sevastova are a break down again in the doubles.

Maria Sharapova on Facebook: "Looking forward to my first night match at the US Open Tennis Championships (Official), it will be nice to get away from this crazy heat. Did you guys like my day dress? I will have the night dress tonight and my favorite Tiffany earrings of all time. I know I have the nicest and most generous male fans, treat the women in your life to the 'little blue box'."

2330: Lovely stuff from Brad Gilbert there. No idea what it means, but lovely all the same. I'm sure BG is as pumped as I am for the night matches to come from midnight - first up it's Maria Sharapova v Iveta Benesova, to be followed by Novak Djokovic v Philipp Petzschner.

Brad Gilbert on Twitter: "Waza takes Kelly Chang 12-zero. that's gotta be one of the most uncomfortable places to take a beatdown. can you say 'substitute'?"

2323: One of the last things I remember before slipping into a dreamlike state this morning is the sight and sound of Andy Roddick ranting at an umpire. Well, it's James Blake's turn now. "If you're going to umpire like that you're going to look stupid, are you happy with that?" It seems he's unhappy about some overrules, but he's in charge of the second set so I wouldn't worry about it, JB.

2321: Evening all. I think you should probably manually refresh to confirm that you've been handed into my capable hands. That would be handy. Fresh from an angelic five hours' kip I'm surprisingly perky ahead of tonight's action, but more of that in a moment. Right now, James Blake is back in the game with a 3-0 lead over Peter Polansky in the second set, Ricards Berankis is 3-1 up in the fifth against Jurgen Melzer, and Keothavong & Sevastova have recovered an early break in the final set of their doubles.

2315: My time is up - I hand you into the capable hands of Piers Newbery, who will take you through until the end of day's play. Sleep well.

From Anon, text 81111: "Really hoping Sharapova progresses tonight, staying up to watch. Hopeful she can go all the way in this tournament with the recent form. Would be good to see her and Williams sisters back at the top of the game."

2306: What a shocker from Blake - his form deserts him at the worst possible time as Polansky converts five - that's five - set points at the first time of asking to take the first set 7-6 going into the second set.

2306: Intriguing game on Louis Armstrong as Peter Polansky and James Blake go into a first-set tie-break. Things aren't looking too rosy for 13th seed Jurgen Melzer, who has just been demolished in the fourth set 6-1 by Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis and now faces a fifth set decider over on Court 7.

2302: Reuters tennis writer Matt Majendie: "I've just been watching Jimmy Connors and Martina Navratilova practising together in the evening sunshine and it's got to be said that Navrat was doing pretty tidily in the battle of the left-handers."

2254: Briton Anne Keothavong and doubles partner Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia have made a sensational start against Timea Bacsinszky and Tathiana Garbin, winning the first set 6-1. However, the Anglo-Latvo combo is 3-1 down in the second. Still, time to unleash the Union Jack arrow pointing to the stars... Meanwhile, the Polansky and Blake game is going with serve with the Canadian 5-4 up with Blake to serve in the 10th game.

2249: Jurgen Melzer, who lost the second set to Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis, takes the third for a 2-1 lead while Estonia's 31st seed Kaia Kanepi looks in fine touch, winning the first set against Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova 6-2. A nice Jelena Jankovic fact for you - her victory against Mirjana Lucic is the first time she has won back-to-back matches in five tournaments since Wimbledon.

From Graham, Surrey, text 81111: "A Taylor Dent smash caught some poor guy full in the mouth. As an apology Dent gets the ball boy to give him an ice pack, a racket and the actual ball as a souvenir."

2233: Back on Louis Armstrong, former world number four James Blake, now currently 108 in the rankings, is in action against Canada's Peter Polansky, a name one would usually associate with a Noo Yoik detective always "getting beef from the DA's office". France's Paul-Henri Mathieu books a third-round encounter against Roger Federer following a 7-6 6-4 6-3 win over Guillaume Rufin.

2228: Robin Soderling breaks Taylor Dent in the ninth game of the third set for a 5-4 lead and the Swede now serves for the match, which he does in style to clinch the match in just 91 minutes. Meanwhile, the Hitchhiker's texts are rolling in. "Marvin the paranoid Andreev," says Leigh in Cardiff while someone is clearly too embarrassed to put their name to "Andre Agrajag".

From Alistair, Tanzania, text 44 7786200666: "Hi Pranav. There's another Andreas Beck, TSG Hoffenheim & Germany defender. For a while I thought the footballer is also on the tennis tour!">
Indeed, I once mistook Brazil's Marcelo Melo for his football-playing namesake Felipe. I wonder if Marcelo would have got himself sent off in a World Cup quarter-final...

2208: Jankovic breaks the three-game run of breaks by holding on to her serve for a 5-3 lead, which means Lucic must hold on to her service game to stay in the match. But the Croat's service game once again wilts and Jankovic breaks once again to seal a 6-4 3-6 6-2 victory. Meanwhile, RightJudgeIam on 606 says "143 mph first serve ace by Taylor Dent (wasn't he a character in the Hitchhikers Guide?)". I think it was his uncle Arthur who had his house demolished to make way for a bypass, possibly. Any other tennis players' names remotely (and tenuously) linked to Douglas Adams's superb creation? All I can think of right now is James Blake Seven...

2200: An anonymous texter wants to know when Maria Sharapova is on. The 2006 champion will be in action at 0000 BST against Iveta Benesova on Arthur Ashe. Another break in the battle of the Balkans as Mirjana Lucic registers her 55th unforced error - this time an overhit forehand - to hand Jelena Jankovic the break - for the third successive game in the final set - and the lead at 4-2.

2155: Sensational scenes on Louis Armstrong as Lucic immediately breaks back at 3-2. This tennis marlarkey...

BBC 5 live's Jonathan Overend tweeting from Flushing Meadows: "Murray v Brown is 3rd on Ashe tomorrow. About 8pm-ish UK time at a guess."

2151: Well done to Sam in Portsmouth and Matt in Birmingham for the excellent "Cilic Bang" spot in the 2121 updates, I raise my freshly brewed cup in your general directions. All you Robin Soderling fans will be delighted to know the world number five is 5-2 up in the second set against Taylor Dent. The Swede nabbed the first set 6-2 and has continued his imperious form into the second. Over on Louis Armstrong, Jelena Jankovic makes the vital break in the fourth game as Lucic's serving game unravels, allowing her Serbian opponent to take a 3-1 lead.

From Thomas, KCL, text 81111: "This mass exodus by seeds seems too good to be true for Murray followers. You wonder what surprise is waiting round the corner."

2140: Trouble for fourth seed Jelena Jankovic as Mirjana Lucic slams down an ace to snaffle the second set 6-3 and force their match into a deciding set. Remember Lucic? The German-born Croatian reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 1999 aged just 17 (beaten by Steffi Graf - remember her?) but took time out from tennis following a string of off-field problems. But it seems she's getting back to her best at Flushing Meadows, although her left leg is heavily strapped. Jankovic is currently only making 44% of her serves, which may go some way to explain her indifferent display this afternoon.

2133: Paul-Henri Mathieu, ranked 109 in the world, moves a step closer to a third-round encounter against Federer by taking the second set against Guillaume Rufin 6-4 while 13th seed Jurgen Melzer is one set up against Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis.

From Sparkle on 606: "Well that's Cilic gone...they're dropping like flies."

2121: Fed pumps a series of vicious first serves to take a 5-3 lead before breaking Beck for the second time in the set to clinch a 6-3 6-4 6-3 victory. Federer faces either Paul-Henri Mathieu or Guillaume Rufin in the third round. Hardly one of the five-time champion's greatest performances at Flushing Meadows, but still. And the five-hour marathon between Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori comes to a close - and it's the Japanese world number 147 who comes out top to win 5-7 7-6 3-6 7-6 6-1. So 10th seed Cilic joins Roddick, Davydenko et al on the seeds' casualty list.

From Peter BBM, text 81111: "We're at the ground watching Baltacha. Just seen Monfils and he is looking really good. About 10 metres from Andy Murray's mum watching Baltacha."

2110: Strange scenes as umpire Louise Engzell accidentally touches the ball during a rally (longest leg in tennis?) which heads her way, ordering a let because her foot diverted the path of the ball. This call perplexes Federer, although the second seed takes it with the grace of a gentleman. It makes no iota of difference though as Beck wins his service game to trail 3-4 in the third. And looks like we have more problems with the latest scores again.

2059: The scoreboard breakdown prevented me from informing you that Richard (or "Reeesshaarrr" as Tarantoes has dubbed him on 606) Gasquet has beaten Russia's sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 6-4 6-2. That's only the Frenchman's second win at a Grand Slam this year. Funnily enough, his first was in the previous match here at Flushing Meadows. Meanwhile, Davydenko joins fellow seeds Andy Roddick and Tomas Berdych in the New York sightseeing group. Meanwhile, Beck holds serve against Federer, but the Swiss leads 3-2 and serving for a two-game advantage.

From Anon, text 81111: "Evening! Could you please give me an update on the scores? The live score tracker on the ATP has frozen. I am not impressed!"

2050: Federer breaks yet again - without really doing anything. Beck is unravelling at a rate of knots - the point which gifts Federer the break is the German's fourth unforced error of the game. Fed takes the second game with little fuss for a 2-0 lead.

2044: The Fed slams down his ninth ace of the afternoon to take a two-set lead as a rather resigned-looking Beck heads to his seat. No showboating from Federer so far, just a impressive all-round display. Meanwhile, over on Court 13, Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori continue to sweat litres of fluid in their fifth-set decider. Apologies for the lack of score updates from this match, but our feed with all the scores has broken. Grrrrr.....

2036: Oh yes, would you mind awfully refreshing your web browser to see who is writing this gubbins? Ithangyou.

2034: A quite sensational backhand volley at the net from Federer - making contact with the ball above his head - seals a two-game lead with Beck serving to stay in this second set.

2032: Bon soir, guten abend, buenas noches, awight? Thank you to Mark Ashenden, clad in some sensational camouflage shorts under the unrelenting BBC Sport air-conditioning unit, for the past 270 minutes or so. I'll be your guide until nigh on midnight as Roger Federer breaks for a 4-3 lead and serving for a two-game advantage.

2024: A double-fault hands Federer the advantage slap bang in the middle of set two and the Swiss man leads 3-2 with service next. Time to pass on to Pranav Soneji. Be good to him. Thanks folks. I'll still be tinkering on Twitter though.

2021: Cilic and Nishikori are now scrapping away in a tie-break in the fourth set. Massive. The Japanese star needs this to stay alive.

2018: Gasquet has already broken Davydenko in the third set to lead 6-3 6-4 3-1. Wild donkeys aren't going to stop the Frenchman from reaching the third round. Are they?

2016: In the women's singles, Spaniard Lourdes Dominguez Lino beats Poland's Urszula Radwanska 6-2 7-5 to become the second qualifier in the third round.

2013: Wozniacki, who has dropped just two games at Flushing Meadows this week, says: "I go out there and I don't give up. I don't give any free points away and that is one of my strong points. I am feeling fresh, all recovered (from an ankle injury), from everything. I am happy to be playing injury-free. It's perfect."

2011: Cilic and Nishikori are 5-5 in the fourth set.

2009: Guten tag again. Beck fires one back at the feet of Feds and the number two can't handle it. Break point for the German. And the left-hander winds up another one and blows a shocker into the net. What a chance. And he knows it. The German eyes stare up at the blue sky in bewilderment. And another chance goes begging for Beck and again the net gets in the way. Feds not in full flow. Looks like someone's poured some treacle into his limbs right now. But he sneaks it down to errors from Beck. Lucky boy.

BBC 5 live's Jonathan Overend tweeting from Flushing Meadows: "Emilie & Amelie are next door to us. Loit and Mauresmo make a French TV dream team. Mauresmo has made a big impact on LLodra's game."

2005: Gasquet now leading Davydenko by two sets. Svetlana Kuznetsova beats Anastasija Sevastova 6-2 6-3. Nishikori serves up a treat and leads 5-4. Could this be a five-setter? Fourth seed Jelena Jankovic gets going on Louis Armstrong against Mirjana Lucic.

2000: It's 27 minutes on the clock and Feds stays cool on his service with another ace and he soon wraps up the first set 6-3. Was that officially a Federer wobble?

1958: There is something very very beautiful about watching a left-hander plying his sporting trade. Is there a leftie sport star you know who plays ugly? Andreas Beck throwing down some thunderbolts to keep Federer quiet. Great comeback. And a very cheeky drop shot gives him his third game in a row. Brilliant. Feds has gone from Premier League to Southern Conference in a matter of eight minutes. (Football reference by the way). 5-3. Could it happen?

1954: Big NEWSFLASH: Arnaud Clement beats Eduardo Schwank 6-3 5-5 with the Argentine retiring with an injury. That's all I know right now.

1952: Massive applause for a certain German on Ashe. Beck avoids the bagel humiliation. Surely just a few swings of the serve away from the opening set. Feds just having a few problems with the wind and Beck is cranking up his forehands and Feds serving at 0-30. Guten tag? Three break points? The comeback has begun. Feds play long and wide and that's two on the bounce. 5-2. Mmmm

1948: Whoosh. 14 minutes and guess what the score is on Arthur Ashe. Federer 5-0 Beck. Astonishing.

1945: A ding-dong battle brewing on court 13. Japan's Nishikori trails Cilic 2-1 in sets but he's serving for a 4-1 lead in the fourth.

HAROON, via text 81111: "Hi. I'm in Pakistan. I love tennis. I'm a great fan of ROGER FEDERER. Hope he wins today."
Welcome on board. How's the state of Pakistan tennis these days?

1938: Elsewhere. On Louis Armstrong, Kuznetsova is 6-2 5-2 up against Sevastova. Davydenko is battling back at 2-1 in set two after losing the opening set to Gasquet. Schwank leads 4-3 on court 11 against Clement after losing the opener. Cilic leads 7-5 6-7 6-3 2-1. Federer dishes up a few tasty serves and with his back-hand looking smoother than a bagel covered in vanilla ice cream, he edges his service game to lead 3-0. Solid start from the number two.

1932: Federer to serve first. These two have not played each other before. Feds opting for a light blue little number, while Beck has gone for the 'old school' approach - all white with some slight red piping. Looking at Federer's shirt, it does seem very blowy out there. BOOMEDY BOOM. An ace hands him the opening game in about one minute.

1931: Arthur Ashe welcomes the mighty Feds and Andreas Beck. Has the German got any chance? He's a left-hander so could pose some problems and it's a bit breezy in the Big Apple so who knows. Do you know?

Jack in London, via text 81111: "Wozniacki has added so much power to her game recently - and in the modern game, you need to have power to win Grand Slams. This could be her tournament, although I'm still unsure if she could be a match against Venus or Cljisters If they're on top form."
Seems like there was technological problem with our texting inbox. Sorry - I've already chomped on my biscuit.

mn2kl on Twitter: "Wabbit?"
A fine fine Roger make no mistake. But no - not that one.

1920: I should have known this was coming. Bagel-tastic. reading_a_book on Twitter says "raisin & cinnamon bagel with crunchy peanut butter and apple slices or a wholemeal bagel with cream cheese". londonstatto says: "bacon, more bacon and ketchup. Bliss!".

1916: Apologies for eyes casting away from the other courts while Caroline Woz was wrapping up her victory. Cilic has hit back against Nishikori after losing the second set. The Croat now leads 7-5 6-7 6-3. Kuznetsova leads Sevastova 6-2 2-1. Clement leads Schwank 6-3 2-3. Cibulkova and Bondarenko down to a final set tie-break.

1912: Know any tennis players called Roger?

1906: Wozniacki says: "It's nice to win that fast. It feels good." The Dane's next up against Chan Yung-Jan for a place in the fourth round.

1902: Wow. Wozniacki beats Chang 6-0 6-0. Double bagel. 47 minutes. Effortless.

viperdk1 on Twitter: "Ms. Wozniacki is certainly proving her status as top seed isn't wasted - unlike a certain Ms. Safina"

1852: Wozniacki takes her 10th game in a row. What odds on a double bagel? The ease of this match almost encourages me to throw out: What's your favourite bagel topping? But that would be a shocker. Wouldn't it? (ummmm light cheese spread every time - I didn't just say that by the way. You dreamed it.)

1851: France's Arnaud Clement leads Argentina's Eduardo Schwank 5-3 and is serving. The winner of this battle faces the mighty Fish. Neither will be relishing that one.

1846: Back in the chopper for a bit. Kuznetsova and Sevastova have just started on Louis Armstrong. Bondarenko has match points after being a set down to Cibulkova. Clement is 4-2 up against Schwank. Davydenko and Gasquet have just got going on Grandstand. In the time it's taken me to write that, Wozniacki has broken at the start of the second set. The demolition continues. Only 31 minutes gone.

1839: Chew on that tennis fans. A super-easy bagel for Denmark's Wozniacki. No wobbles, few mistakes, utterly dominant. She takes the first set against Chang 6-0.

1833: I've got to be honest with you. Not a lot of texts coming in. Loads of activity on 606 and twitter. But texts? Zip. Zilch. Nuffink. That's none. Has some big cloud wiped out everybody's reception this afternoon? I can offer a soggy custard creme and a pair of paper clips as a prize for the best text in the next hour. Up for the challenge? Text on 81111 (UK) or 44 7786200666 (worldwide) with TENNIS before your message. (Not all contributions can be used. Messages charged at your standard operator rate.)

1829: A few facts about Capra from the WTA. "Only her fourth event at this level - youngest (18) and lowest-ranked (371) - never played anyone inside Top 75 before - only once defeated someone inside Top 100 and that was on Tuesday."

1825: Teenager Beatrice Capra beats 18th seed Aravane Rezai 7-5 2-6 6-3. How's about that for some early fireworks on day four?

1822: Wozniacki cruising. She's 2-0 up already and I've blinked twice. And two double-faults from Kai-Chen Chang is not a good sign. Feds had better start slipping into his dinner suit.

1818: Out on court 11, Clement and Schwank are 1-1 and are just getting into the swing of things. Cilic is being pushed all the way and after taking the first set 7-5, he trails 5-6 in the next. Capra - the 18-year-old I was bigging up earlier. She won the first set 7-5 to stun 18th seed Rezai, lost the second set but she's now serving for the match. What a win that would be.

1815: The mighty Mardy Fish eases into the third round after a bit of a battle in the opening set. The American 19th seed beats Pablo Cuevas 7-5 6-0 6-2. Elsewhere, Spaniard Albert Montanes smashes Carsten Ball 6-4 6-3 6-1. Wozniacki just getting going now against 19-year-old Kai-Chen Chang.

NeilHarmanTimes on Twitter: "Victoria Azarenka on site, visiting the tournament doctor. She is a little sore, but otherwise fine"
Big relief that. Poor Azarenka went down like a sack of potatoes yesterday against Dulko.

Clijsterskim on Twitter: "On our way to the courts! Traffic is good :-) listening to Staind (outside) great song!"

1804: With Wozniacki set to come on to Arthur Ashe court shortly, how about throwing me your predictions for Wozzy and Feds? And anybody else if you so wish. You make up the rules here. Tweet me @bbcsport_mark, text me on 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 (worldwide) with TENNIS before your message, or 606.

1802: A couple of early women's results for you. Chan Yung-Jan beats Tamira Paszek 6-3 6-3. Patty Schnyder beats Maria Jose Martinez (Spanish 22nd seed) 7-6(7-2) 6-4. Thanks to the WTA, here are some Schnyder facts. "It's her 101st win in a Grand Slam to advance to the third round at a Slam for first time since 2008 US Open with win over Martinez Sanchez. Only five current players have more wins: Venus, Serena, Henin, Dementieva, Clijsters. She is also the oldest player remaining at 33."

1758: The tie-break continues...Zvonareva gets an early break and why not chuck in a double-fault. 4-4. Lisicki - sporting a cracking purple outfit - noses ahead at 5-4 with a serve but a limp one hands the advantage back to Zvonareva and it's match point. Game over. 6-1 7-6. The 7th seed survives. Time for Wozniacki to get on it. Kai-Chen Chang awaits.....How will this go?

1753: The opening tie-break four points go against the serve but Zvonareva bangs down an ace to relieve some of the tension. 3-2 to the Russian. Then 3-3 and they change ends...

1750: Dramarama. It's a tie-break between Lisicki and Zvonareva. And I'm on it....

1748: Young Capra loses the second set to Rezai 6-2. Game on. Zvonareva takes her successive game and Lisicki is serving to stay in the match. Over on court 6, Bondarenko is fighting back and is serving to take the second set against Cibulkova.

Elena Baltacha on Twitter: "At Flushing now, day off from training..just media and treatment!"

1743: And there we have it. Lisicki blows it. Zvonareva breaks back and is serving at 5-5 in the second set.

1741: Zvonareva is having her little wobbly moment. She's lost three games in a row and Lisicki is serving to take the second set. Interesting. Now that I've written that, let's see what happens.....a big cloud will come from nowhere and flood the court probably.

NeilHarmanTimes on Twitter: "80 per cent chance of showers in New York tomorrow as Hurricane Earl rushes up the coast. Better bring the mackintosh."

1738: Fish is flying. His fourth bagel of the tournament. Just one set needed and he'll be back in the locker room.

Makku on 606: " As long as the media keeps putting this ridiculous pressure on Murray every time he is in a major, it will end up in a disappointment. Murray is human and this kind of pressure is real tough to handle irrespective of how well he plays. You guys have to let go and treat his matches with Zen, what happens happens - and before you know it, he will have a title in his hand. And then you can rejoice."
Fair point. Sadly, until there are a few more Brits performing at a high enough level, the focus on Murray will burn even brighter. I reckon he's handling it all brilliantly.

RightJudgeIam on 606: "More opinions on Murray: Looking at the draw he has Stan, the Colonel, Big Sam and Llodra in his quarter. Really should reach the SF. Then it's 2 matches to win the title. Tough but doable"

1731: It's happened again. I start larging it about Fish and he's facing break point. What is it with my fingers this afternoon? If someone's annoyed you today - at work or on public transport - then let me know. I'll just chuck their name into the live clockwatch and the rest will be history. And another break point. An ace pulls Mardy out of trouble. The crowd are loving this one. It's a ninth ace for Fish but this game is going all the way - Cuevas is fighting for everything but it's not enough. Fish survives. 5-0.

1725: Cilic has taken the opening set 7-5 against Nishikori. Wickmayer leads Goerges 6-4 2-1. Fish bags two breaks and is 4-0 up.

1720: The Fish continues his fightback. He's 3-0 up in second set against Cuevas. Can anything stop this boy now?

1718: Beatrice Capra: Born in Maryland, USA. Her top hobby from the 18-year-old: Music. Favourite player: James Blake. Ambition in tennis: to be top 10 in the world. She's 3-0 down and two service down in second set. I really must stop mentioning any players. I wonder if I put the word 'Federer' in a sentence three times then Beck could beat him later. Is that what we want? Is it? I'll leave that to you to tell me.

randalthor1812 on Twitter: "18-yr-old Capra (371) from USA giving Rezai (20 in world) a real run for her money and takes first set but starting to wilt."

1709: Flying Vera Zvonareva takes the first set 6-1 against Lisicki and would you believe it? Mid-sentence. My fingers are typing and she's broken. The curse of the Ashenden fingers strike again. 2-1 to the German in the second set.

Andy Murray on Twitter: "My physio failing to see the funny side of us wearing exactly the same clothes today ahahha"
This is very much worth a view. Who says this boy's grumpy?

1706: Keep your thoughts coming in. Murray. Keothavong. Nadal. Feds. Wozniacki. You make it up. Tweet me @bbcsport_mark, text me on 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 (worldwide) with TENNIS before your message, or join the banter on 606.

1703: Plenty of whoops and cheers as Cuevas crumbles at the end of the first set and Fish battles back to take it 7-5. Andy Murray arrives at Flushing Meadows for his practice session that is due to begin in 15 minutes. He plays Dustin Brown tomorrow.

mr_bobosan on 606: "Did you know that 'Mardy' means bad-tempered or grumpy in the north of England? Makes his name even more amusing. And even more appropriate if he lost today. Which I hope he won't"
Any other fascinating name definitions?

1658: Mardy Fish grabs two games on the bounce and gets it to 6-5. The American was facing a grumpy first set conclusion there but he bounces back to delight the local crowd.

CaroWozniacki on Twitter: "Talked to Vika! She is feeling better! Hope she will be good very soon! Send all the best wishes to her!!"
Nice to see the number one seed spreading the love. Remember, Victoria Azarenka collapsed yesterday during her match with Gisela Dulko. Wozniacki up next on Arthur Ashe.

1649: Court 13 is being graced by Croatian 11th seed Marin Cilic. The big man's up against Japan's Kei Nishikori. Cilic 3-4 down and serving. Anywhere else you'd like my mighty flying machine to be heading towards?

eliotc38 on Twitter: " Normal service has been resumed. Andy is the last one standing…"
I know it's early days but before the big guns come out to play in an hour or so, why not chuck over some opinions on how Andy Murray is looking. Is he ready for a serious pop at a Grand Slam?

1643: Zvonareva storms back to lead 3-1. On Grandstand, it's 18th seed Aravane Rezai vs Beatrice Capra. (Currently 4-4). On Court 4 we've got Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium's 15th seed) vs Julia Goerges (currently 4-3). Out on Court 8 there is Albert Montanes (Spain's 21st seed) vs Carsten Ball. (4-4 so far)

1638: Soneji is on fire today and tells me Pablo Cuevas (Mardy Fish's opponent) plays football and likes his surfing. He's also a major supporter of a charity that campaigns against animal cruelty. Nice work Pablo. Soneji finishes up with "Cuevas means cave". Stunning. Cuevas meanwhile is serving at 3-2. I hope he doesn't inflict too much cruelty on Fish today.

1634: Zvonareva already a break up against Lisicki. 1-0. Few facts for you. The Russian will be 26 next week. Lives in Moscow. She made her US Open debut in 2002 where she made the third round. Her best achievement at Flushing Meadows was last year and 2004 where she got to the fourth round. Best Grand Slam results are 2009 semi-finalist at Aussie Open and of course runner-up at this year's Wimbledon. Since writing that, she's been broken back. That'll teach me. Sorry Vera.

1626: Here goes from my colleague Pranav Soneji: "Our Mardy (who's 6ft 2') was feeling a little…lardy at the end of last year, hitting the scales at 14.5 stones following knee surgery in September. Fed up with the spare tyre around his midriff, the Florida resident went on a drastic high-protein, low-carb diet, eschewing fizzy drinks, cheese, pizza, cheeseburgers and chips. Instead he filled his boots on vegetables and salad and consequently lost a stone-and-a-half - although it was far from easy. "We calorie counted down to every calorie," he said. "Before, I ate whatever whenever. Now, I try not to eat anything late. It got fun because I could see a difference really quickly. I got into it, and got pretty religious about it.''
Worthy of an American down flag in the best possible way. Great work Mardy.

1624: Before I pass on more details about today's schedule, I'm jumping into my chopper for a quick buzz around the Meadows of Flushing. On Arthur Ashe it's 7th seed and Wimbledon finalist Vera Zvonareva . On Louis Armstrong, there's Mardy Fish (19th seed) up against Pablo Cuevas. My colleague Pranav Soneji has pulled out a couple of interesting titbits about the American Fish. More on that in a sec.

1617: And there you were thinking the British flags weren't coming out today. How wrong you were. Remember Anne Keothavong? After losing to Yung-Jan Chan in three sets on Tuesday she was not a happy bunny but she's back later today in the women's doubles. Around 0200 in the morning by my reckoning.

1610: Here we go again and I want your thoughts. As always, where would I be without your contributions? On my own that's where and I don't need lonely - not today. Tweet me @bbcsport_mark, text me on 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 (worldwide) with TENNIS before your message, or join the banter on 606.

1610: Mr Murray obviously did pretty well clearing the first hurdle of Lukas Lacko on Wednesday. Next up for him is Jamaican Dustin Brown. Not today though but all thoughts on the Muzz are welcome. For all those needing a sweet dose of Murray then check out his latest BBC column.

1606: Who needs Andy Murray for a line-up? He's yesterday's fish and chip wrappers. Today will be as lively as a bag of crayfish or I'll give you your money back. First up is 7th seed Vera Zvonareva and Sabine Lisicki. Then it's Caroline Wozniacki against Kai-Chen Chang. Followed by Uncle Roger. The boy Federer is playing German Andreas Beck. The evening games see Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic shaking their stuff. That's just for starters. Enough for you to chew on for now? I don't want you getting US Open indigestion.

1557: Afternoon. The echoes of Andy Roddick's foot-fault outburst are still ringing around Flushing Meadows as the fourth day of the US Open gets going. Anybody up late enough to see it? I was safely tucked up in bed when A-Rod fired off against Janko Tipsarevic but it all sounded tasty. What fireworks will be in store for us today?