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New York - Amid myriad health troubles in 2016, Kevin Anderson found a new fan who was on hand to cheer the South African in a second-round victory at the US Open on Wednesday.
"My doctor who did my dental surgery actually flew up to watch me play and gave me some support," said Anderson, who also had the vocal backing of his wife, his physio, his coach and a few friends from his days at the University of Illinois.
"I think he felt bad because he put me through the wringer."
Buoyed in part by a quarter-final run at Flushing Meadows last year - beating Andy Murray on the way - Anderson was ranked a career high 10 in the world rankings last October.
But knee, shoulder and an ankle injury that required surgery saw him sidelined for 10 weeks. He retired from two matches and withdrew from eight events, and when he has played it's sometimes been a struggle.
"Obviously some tough first rounds throughout the rest of the year," said Anderson, who fell in the first round at Wimbledon despite holding a two-set lead and a match point against Denis Istomin.
Having followed up a straight-sets first-round win over Yoshihito Nishioka with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-4 victory over Canadian Vasek Pospisil on Wednesday, Anderson said things were looking up.
"It definitely feels great to be out here able to compete at 100 percent with my body also feeling good and allowing me to do that," he said.
Anderson will next face ninth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat Australia's James Duckworth 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Results from the third day of the 2016 US Open tennis championships at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday (x denotes seeded player):
Men
Second round
Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Jiri Vesely (CZE) walkover
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (7/3)
John Isner (USA x20) bt Steve Darcis (BEL) 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (10/12), 6-3
Kyle Edmund (GBR) bt Ernesto Escobedo (USA) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x9) bt James Duckworth (AUS) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Kevin Anderson (RSA x23) bt Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-4
Jack Sock (USA x26) bt Mischa Zverev (GER) 6-1, 6-1, 6-2
Marin Cilic (CRO x7) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 6-1, 6-2, 6-3
Rafael Nadal (ESP x4) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 6-0, 7-5, 6-1
Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) bt Albert Ramos (ESP x31) 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)
Lucas Pouille (FRA x24) bt Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-2, 6-0
Roberto Bautista (ESP) bt Federico Del Bonis (ARG) 5-7, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2
Gael Monfils (FRA x10) bt Jan Stral (CZE) 7-5, 6-4, 6-3
Nicolas Almagro (ESP) bt Pablo Cuevas (URU x18) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 7-6 (11/9)
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) bt Benoit Paire (FRA x32) 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Ryan Harrison (USA) bt Milos Raonic (CAN x5) 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 7-5, 6-1
Women
Second round
Madison Keys (USA x8) bt Kayla Day (USA) 6-1, 6-1
Naomi Osaka (JPN) bt Ying-Ying Duan (CHN) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)
Monica Niculescu (ROM) bt Ana Bogdan (ROM) 6-0, 6-1
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x9) 6-4, 6-4
Johanna Konta (GBR x13) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 6-2, 5-7, 6-2
Belinda Bencic (SUI x24) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 6-3, 6-2
Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) bt Zheng Saisai (CHN) 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5
Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) bt Garbine Muguruza (ESP x3) 7-5, 6-4
Roberta Vinci (ITA x7) bt Christina McHale (USA) 6-1, 6-3
Carina Witthoeft (GER) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-1, 6-7 (1/7), 6-1
Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) bt Wang Yafan (CHN) 7-5, 6-3
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) bt Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-2
Petra Kvitova (CZE x14) bt Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR) 7-6 (7/2), 6-3
Elina Svitolina (UKR x22) bt Lauren Davis (USA) 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
CiCi Bellis (USA) bt Shelby Rogers (USA) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
Angelique Kerber (GER x2) bt Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) 6-2, 7-6 (9/7)
