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Lucky loser Max Purcell has defeated Jordan Thompson in their all-Australian second round match at the US Open tune-up event in North Carolina.

Lucky loser Max Purcell has made the most of his reprieve at the Winston-Salem Open to be the last Australian standing at the ATP 250 event.

Elevated into the main draw in North Carolina when fellow Australian John Millman withdrew from the tournament due to a foot issue, Purcell took advantage of his good fortune to overcome compatriot Jordan Thompson 7-5 6-4.

Alexei Popyrin took the first set in his battle with Spanish young gun Carlos Alcaraz but lost the final seven points of the match in a tiebreaker to go down 7-6 (11-9) 1-6 7-6 (7-1).

World No.205 Purcell's second-round win over Thompson was his fifth top-100 scalp since June - a confidence-boosting run for the US Open wildcard leading into next week's grand slam in New York.

The 23-year-old broke the serve of Thompson five times before sealing his maiden career win over the world No.59 on his third match point.

Purcell will meet Swedish talent Mikael Ymer, who stunned 11th-seeded Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3 6-1, for a place in the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 event.

Popyrin and 15th-seeded Alcaraz went toe-to-toe for almost two-and-a-half hours.

Sydneysiders Purcell, Thompson and Popyrin will all join former quarter-finalists Alex de Minaur and Millman, Nick Kyrgios and James Duckworth in the men's singles at Flushing Meadows starting on Tuesday (AEST).

In second-round action in Winston-Salem, former world No.1 Andy Murray will now turn his attentions to the US Open after he was beaten 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 by Frances Tiafoe.

The 34-year-old Murray was unable to convert on three set points on the Tiafoe serve in the 10th game of the match before the American went on to secure a hard-fought victory.