Naomi Osaka's 'special' moment with young US Open fan melts hearts

US Open viewers have flooded social media to praise Naomi Osaka after a lovely moment with a young fan.

The reigning champion swept into the third round after a straight sets win over Poland's 53rd-ranked Magda Linette.

The top seed cruised to to a 6-2, 6-4 victory to set up a potential showdown with 15-year-old American sensation Coco Gauff for a spot in the last 16.

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However, it was a moment between Osaka and a little girl in the crowd that left the most lasting impression on fans.

Demonstrating the true qualities of a champion, Osaka sought out the young supporter who was reduced to tears at seeing her idol up close and personal.

Osaka reached over the barricade to give the emotional youngster a big hug, before presumably signing the merchandise she was holding.

The touching moment sent fans into a spin on social media.

Osaka wrapped up the opening set against last week's WTA Bronx champion Linette in 30 minutes but endured a brief wobble, falling 3-0 down in the second, before reeling off six of the final seven games to advance.

"I'm really happy to not have to play a three-set match," Osaka said.

Among the celebrities watching her match at Louis Armstrong Stadium were basketball legend Kobe Bryant and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose kneeling protest became a national symbol for objecting to racial inequality and social injustice.

"I'm really grateful they came out," Osaka said. "It's really cool. I honestly just wanted to finish as fast as possible because I didn't want them to be out in the sun too long."

Osaka awaits the winner between teenager Gauff, the world number 140 who reached the fourth round in July at Wimbledon, or 112th-ranked Hungarian qualifier Timea Babos.

Big gun falls in women’s draw

Gauff can become the youngest woman to reach the last 32 in New York since Anna Kournikova in 1996.

In a massive shock elsewhere, Petra Kvitova crashed out as organisers sought to play catch up following heavy rain.

Twenty-two singles ties were pushed back from Wednesday after a steady downpour limited play to the two principal show courts in New York, beefing Thursday's schedule up to 54 matches across both halves of the singles draws.

Andrea Petkovic knocked out the Czech sixth seed, a two-time Wimbledon champion, to reach the women's third round for the first time since 2015.

German world number 88 Petkovic, whose best US Open showing was a 2011 quarter-final run, strung together successive main draw wins for just the second time this season in a 6-4, 6-4 triumph.

"I've beaten her before in Grand Slams and big matches. That gave me the belief. That's the most important part if you want to win," said Petkovic, who next faces Belgian 25th seed Elise Mertens.

"She really played a good game. I don't think I played that badly. I did have my chances, for sure, but somehow I just couldn't make it," Kvitova said.

In the men’s, sixth seed Alexander Zverev survived a second successive five-set battle as he outlasted American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

Germany's Zverev was taken the distance by Radu Albot in his opening match and 45th-ranked Tiafoe forced him into another decider before last year's ATP Finals champion battled through to round three to equal his best US Open run.

"I've been here before. It's usually what I do in the first few rounds of majors, to play five sets," said Zverev, who has featured in 11 five-set matches at Grand Slams since the start of 2018 -- more than any other player.

"Frances gave me another fight and I had to go five sets because he took everything out of me."

Aussie young gun storms into third round

Alex de Minaur has made up for lost time with a scorching second-round win at the US Open.

In a rain-interrupted match resuming from day three, de Minaur returned on Thursday to to complete a 6-3 7-5 6-3 victory over Chile's 31st seed Christan Garin.

De Minaur was holed up at Flushing Meadows for more than six hours on Wednesday, only to get one game in before play was suspended.

But the Australian No.2 shook off the disruption and to post an impressive win to earn a shot at seventh-seeded former Open finalist Kei Nishikori on Friday.

"Very pleased with that," de Minaur said.

"Look, it's not easy, especially with what happened yesterday, to come back again today and to play at a very high level, which I did throughout the whole match.

"I fought off some very tough games on my serve and I managed to hold on to that second set, which was huge.

"I put myself in tough situations today and got myself out of them, so very happy."

Nishikori, runner-up to Marin Cilic in 2014 after taking out Novak Djokovic that year in the semi-finals, holds no fears for de Minaur.

"I will go out there and just play fearless. Ultimately, that is when I play my best tennis," the 20-year-old said.

"I can draw a lot of good feelings from last year. I had a very tough match against Cilic and I just went out there and took it to him.

"Obviously it was a little bit of a (five-set) heartbreaker but ultimately that is the way I have to play and that is what you want.

"You want to be playing these top guys at the top of their level.

"Hopefully I can really come out tomorrow and give it my best crack."

With agencies