Malaga's Alejandro Davidovich faces tough third round clash with American rival at US Open

Malaga-born tennis player Alejandro Davidovich, eyeing off a debut in the world's top 20, has advanced through to the third round of the US Open on Friday.

The Spaniard, born in Rincón de la Victoria, defeated his lower-ranked Argentinian opponent, Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, winning 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday 30 August. But the 21st ranked Davidovich - currently enjoying his highest ranking following a semi-final run at the Canadian Open a fortnight ago - faces a stern test in the next round against American crowd favourite and 14th seed, Tommy Paul.

The pair have already played twice against each other earlier this year. The American won their first encounter in the second round of the Australian Open in Melbourne and then repeated that success with a straight sets victory over the Malagueño at the Miami Masters.

Besides a tight second set that was separated by just one break of serve, Davidovich was barely troubled during his second match at Flushing Meadows in New York. He was under an injury cloud coming into the last grand slam of the year, after withdrawing a week and a half ago from the Cincinnati Masters against Novak Djokovic with severe back pain. But the discomfort hasn't seemed to bother the 24-year-old yet this week.

The Malaga local is looking to better his efforts last year in New York when he reached the fourth round, his best result at the US Open.