Lleyton Hewitt has benefited from the withdrawal of Aleksandr Nedovyesov to earn his place in the US Open second round.
The humid conditions in New York has forced a number of players to pull out of their respective matches on Tuesday, but despite Nedovyesov bringing an abrupt halt to the contest, Hewitt had looked on course to secure a win in his final appearance at Flushing Meadows.
The 2001 champion recorded a bagel first set before prevailing during a second-set tie-break to move closer to a place in the last 64.
Hewitt, who has slipped down to 166 in the world rankings, also took the opening six points of the third before Nedovyesov opted to shake hands with the former world number one.
The 34-year-old will face compatriot Bernard Tomic in the next round if the 24th seed can overcome Damir Dzumhur.
Darren Plant
