NEW YORK: Five-time champion Roger Federer strolled into the US Open third round on Thursday as fellow old-timer Lleyton Hewitt bid farewell in trademark fighting style.

On a dramatic day which saw a record created for the longest women's match, and a new Grand Slam high for retirements from the men's tournament, Andy Murray escaped his earliest exit in 10 years when he came back from two sets down to make the last 32.

There was also a late security scare when a drone crashed into the corner of Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Record 12 men quit

Twelve men — a record at the majors — as well as two women have now quit matches in the first four days.

The 22-year-old Sock was leading Belgium's Ruben Bemelmans 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 1-2 when he started cramping and was forced to retire.

Sock, the 28th seed, collapsed on the court, where he was treated with ice packs by US Open medical staff before being helped off to the shade of the Grandstand.

Istomin called it quits on Court Seven against Austrian 20th seed Dominic Thiem, who was 6-4, 6-4, 1-0 up at the time, with his win coming on his 22nd birthday.

The carnage led again to suggestions that the men, who play the best of five sets, should be accorded the same heat protection as women players.

The WTA allows a 10-minute break between the second and third sets of women's matches when the mercury bursts through 30.1 degrees.

Lleyton Hewitt couldn't keep his last US Open going a little longer

The 2001 champ rallied from two sets down and had a pair of match points but wasn't able to complete the comeback, losing to fellow Australian Bernard Tomic 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5 in near 3 1/2 hours Thursday.

With his 6-year-old son cheering from his box in a backward baseball cap just like Dad, Hewitt had two match points on Tomic's serve at 5-3 in the fifth but couldn't convert them.

He then had a chance to serve out the match in the next game but was broken when he double-faulted and made two unforced errors.

The 34-year-old Hewitt had another break point in the following game, but Tomic saved that too. The 22-year-old, meanwhile, was cramping up and received treatment during the ensuing changeover.

He broke in the next game to win, getting double match point when Hewitt's shot hit the top of the net cord and bounced back.

Tomic had a chance to serve out the match in the fourth, but Hewitt broke on the way to winning four straight games to close the set.

Hewitt plans to retire after the Australian Open. He considers himself a mentor to Tomic, who is seeded 24th, and didn't look forward to playing him.

“He's a huge legend for me,” Tomic said in an on-court interview. “I've always looked up to him. It was difficult for me playing him tonight.”

A personal milestone

As American qualifier Shelby Rogers achieved a personal milestone at the US Open, she couldn't help noticing the home crowd cheering her on.

“There was a guy wearing American flag pants, the bandana,” she said. “It's always fun to see the fans come out and kind of have a little pride for playing for your country.”

Rogers, who was sidelined by a right knee injury earlier this year, reached the third round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time Thursday.

Playing in her ninth career major, the 154th-ranked Rogers beat Kurumi Nara of Japan 6-4, 6-4. Nara, ranked 82nd, had upset 27th-seeded Alize Cornet in the first round.

“It's just nice to be back on court, playing well,” Rogers said. “I'm loving every minute.”

Petra Kvitova easily beat a second straight opponent ranked outside the top 100

The fifth-seeded Czech lefty defeated American Nicole Gibbs 6-3, 6-4 in 70 minutes Thursday in the second round of the US Open.

Playing with her right thigh wrapped, Kvitova didn't face a break point.

The 117th-ranked Gibbs, who got in on a wild card, reached the third round at last year's US Open. Kvitova routed 126th-ranked qualifier Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-1 in the first round.

Andy Murray rallied from down two sets to win his second-round match

The third-seeded Murray beat 35th-ranked Adrian Mannarino 5-7, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 on Thursday, dominating the last three sets.

Murray is 35-1 in Grand Slam second-round matches, with the only loss coming in his US Open debut a decade ago.

It was the eighth time in his career Murray came back to win from two sets down.

Young came from behind again, though this deficit wasn't quite as daunting

American Donald Young dropped the first set Thursday before rallying to beat Britain's Aljaz Bedene 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 at the US Open.

He advances to his first Grand Slam third round since last year's French Open.

On Tuesday, the 68th-ranked Young fell behind by two sets and a break against 11th-seeded Gilles Simon before roaring back for the five-set victory.

Young had 18 unforced errors in the first set Thursday against the 57th-ranked Bedene, who has never been past the second round at a major.

But Young looked sharper and sharper as the match wore on and broke Bedene's serve eight times in the final three sets.

Getting off the court quickly

American John Isner keeps getting off the court quickly, a good thing considering the steamy weather early at the US Open.

The 13th-seeded Isner's two matches have totaled 3 hours, 24 minutes — less than a single five-setter could take.

He beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows for the seventh straight year.

Isner has held serve in all 83 of his games at the US Open since the start of last year's tournament.

Isner had been 0-2 against Youzhny, though both of those losses were at least five years ago. The Russian is a former top-10 player, but his ranking is down to 93rd at age 33.

Feeling more comfortable as No. 2

Simona Halep is feeling more comfortable as the No. 2 seed at the US Open.

A year ago, she arrived at Flushing Meadows seeded second at a major for the first time. She was pushed to three sets in her opening match then upset in the third round by a qualifier.

No such problems so far this time. Halep has dropped just nine games through two rounds. She beat qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday.

Recalling what happened when she reached No. 2 in the world for the first time, Halep said in an on-court interview: “I lost my mind a little bit.”

“I couldn't be focused for what I have to do,” she added. “With experience now I'm much better. I feel I have much more confidence in myself. I'm stronger mentally — and physically.”

Wimbledon runner-up Muguruza is out

The ninth-seeded Spaniard was upset by qualifier Johanna Konta 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-2 in the second round Thursday.

At 3 hours, 23 minutes, it was the US Open's longest women's match since the tournament introduced tiebreakers in 1970.

Garbine Muguruza had made at least the fourth round at the year's first three majors, losing to Serena Williams in the Wimbledon title match.

Three of the four women who had reached Grand Slam finals in 2015 are already gone from the US Open before the third round: Australian Open runner-up Maria Sharapova withdrew because of injury, and French Open runner-up Lucie Safarova was upset in the first round.

The only one left is the woman who beat them all in those title matches, Williams. With Muguruza's defeat, six of the top 10 seeds in the women's draw are out at Flushing Meadows.

Muguruza had lost her opening match at her next two tournaments after Wimbledon.

The US Open is the only major at which the 21-year-old Muguruza has failed to make at least the fourth round in her young career.

She had never even won a match at Flushing Meadows before Tuesday.

Konta, a 24-year-old Brit ranked 97th in the world, is into the third round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

She is now on a 15-match winning streak after capturing titles at two lower-level events then advancing through US Open qualifying.

Shut out in the first set

Struggling with dizziness and shut out in the first set, 16th-seeded Sara Errani rallied to win her second-round match at the US Open on Thursday.

The diminutive Italian took a medical timeout after dropping the first five games, complaining of dizziness.

The soft-serving Errani was broken nine times but found a way to beat 18-year-old qualifier Jelena Ostapenko 0-6, 6-4, 6-3 in 2 hours on a hot, humid day.

Errani said she woke up not feeling well, blaming the powerful air conditioning of New York hotels.

But the 2012 French Open runner-up could rely on her experience against the 114th-ranked Latvian, who was playing in her first US Open.

Ostapenko was unable to hold serve once in the final set, getting broken in her final six service games.

Errani won a match despite getting “bageled” in a set for the second straight US Open. She beat Venus Williams 6-0, 0-6, 7-6 (5) in the third round last year.