Kei Nishikori’s love affair with the US Open has continued after he battled from behind to defeat second seed Andy Murray 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, in a four-hour quarter-final thriller.
Facing a player who he has defeated only once out of their eight previous meetings, Nishikori produced a lacklustre start to the match against the world No.2. After fending off a trio of break points in the opening game, Murray dominated the remainder of the first set as he punished Nishikori’s fragile serve. Dictating play and firing shots around the court, the Wimbledon champion clinched the first set in just 37 minutes against his error-stricken rival, who produced 14 unforced errors after only seven games.
Murray’s one-sided start triggered fears in New York that the crowd could once again witness an uneventful encounter in the men’s draw following Gael Monfils’ win over a below-par Lucas Pouille and Novak Djokovic moving past an injured Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Fortunately, this wasn’t the case as Nishikori finally started to give his fans something to cheer about. As the Brit broke with ease to lead by a set and 3-1, the former US Open runner-up was finally able to respond by breaking back to love before levelling at 3-3. After 63 minutes of action, both players finally started to test each other at the same time before the rain halted proceedings.
Returning to the court, Murray had to contend with a surge in Nishikori’s form, sparking cheers from the crowd. It was no longer the world No.2 dictating play, instead he was trying to tame the sixth seed. That task was an unsuccessful one as back-to-back errors revived Nishikori’s chances as he drew level at one set a piece.
Nishikori’s box seems relatively psyched that we’re tied up at a set apiece. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/bCIEF806BT
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) 7 September 2016
Both players endured an emotional roller coaster throughout the third set as twice Murray broke an inconsistent Nishikori before he retrieve the break with some sublime play. The patchy play from the Japanese player was enough to confuse his own camp, nevermind the man on the other side on the net. Despite Nishikori’s valiant efforts, the Brit nudged ahead to 5-4 after a backhand slice from his opponent drifted out. Failing to consolidate his two previous breaks, it was third time lucky for Murray as a serve out wide followed by a backhand down the line moved him back into the lead.
Murray wasn’t just locking horns with his opponent, it was with the tournament officials as well. Managing to generate a double break point opportunity at the start of the fourth set, play was halted midway through the rally due to a loud noise in the stadium. The halt infuriated Murray, who was told earlier in the match to continue to play if he heard a noise. As a result, Nishikori battled back to hold serve as Murray made sure that the umpire and the tournament supervisor was aware of his displeasure.
Andy Murray right now: 😡😡😡#USOpen https://t.co/lCeUgHcQZv
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) 7 September 2016
The collapse in Murray’s mentality triggered the turning point of the roller coaster match. A composed Nishikori stuck to his game plan as steadily took Murray apart on court. Dropping only four points in three service games, Nishikori walked his way to a deciding set after a Murray forehand failed to go over the net.
Nishikori’s dramatic momentum swing continued as he became the one dictating play. An outrageous forehand cross court winner combined with a Murray error resulted in the early advantage at the start of the deciding set. Everything the Japanese player had, he gave, but Murray continued to fight back. Chances came and went for both players towards the end of the match until Nishikori seized his moment. Some outstanding play at the net awarded him the opportunity to serve for the match at 6-5. This time there was no hiccups as a shot into the far corner of the court was unsuccessfully returned by Murray to move Nishikori to his second US Open semifinal.
“It was too exciting on the court, but I tried to stay calm.” Nishikori said about the atmosphere inside the 23,000 capacity Arthur Ashe stadium. “It was really tough to stay calm, he was very good at returning. There was many ups and downs. In the beginning I didn’t start well, but in the end it was great tennis, I’m very happy.”
Reflecting on his slow start to the match, the 26-year-old admitted that the rain delay was a blessing in disguise for him.
“That helped me a lot.” He said about the rain delay. “To review the tactics, and I had to change something to win the match. It definitely helped for my game today. “
Nishikori is the first player to defeat Murray in five sets at the US Open since 2005. In the last four he faces either Juan Martin del Potro or Stan Wawrinka.
