Murray fell behind two sets and a break, roared back, but ultimately could not win the tension-packed encounter at Louis Armstrong Stadium. PHOTO: AFP
South African 15th seed Kevin Anderson stunned British third seed Murray 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/0) to end his run of 18 consecutive major quarter-finals since the 2010 US Open.
“That’s something that is disappointing to lose because of that. That’s many years’ work that’s gone into building that sort of consistency. To lose that is tough,” said Murray.
Anderson reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final after seven prior fourth-round defeats. “It was the match of my life,” he said. “This is a great accomplishment for me.”
Anderson, who won his third career title two weeks ago at Winston-Salem, is the first South African in New York’s last-eight since Wayne Ferreira in 1992.
Anderson, 1-5 in prior matches against Murray, fired 25 aces in ending an 0-15 career hoodoo against top-10 opponents to book a last-eight date with Swiss fifth seed Stan Wawrinka.
Reigning French Open champion Wawrinka defeated US left-hander Donald Young 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The Swiss dropped his first set of the tournament but reached an eighth quarter-final in his past nine Grand Slams, denying 68th-ranked Young his first Slam quarter-final.
Swiss second seed Federer, seeking his sixth US Open title, dispatched US 13th seed John Isner 7-6 (7/0), 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 to reach a quarter-final against French 12th seed Richard Gasquet, who ousted Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1.
“Of course Roger will be the favourite of the match but I will have nothing to lose,” said Gasquet, who is 2-14 lifetime against the Swiss star.
Federer, trying to become at 34 the oldest US Open champion since Ken Rosewall in 1970, stretched his US Open win streak over Americans to 12 since losing to Andre Agassi in 2001.
Halep, Kvitova into maiden US Open quarter-finals
Second seed Simona Halep and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova reached their first US Open quarter-finals on Monday while old-hands Victoria Azarenka and Flavia Pennetta also went through.
Halep needed 2hr 38 min, as well as a 10-minute heat break, to down German 24th seed Sabine Lisicki 6-7 (6/8), 7-5, 6-2.
Azarenka reached her fourth quarter-final in four years with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Varvara Lepchenko of the US.
Czech fifth seed and double Wimbledon champion Kvitova saw off British qualifier Johanna Konta 7-5, 6-3.
Kvitova will next face Italian 26th seed Pennetta, who reached her sixth quarter-final in seven years with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Australia’s Samantha Stosur, the 2011 champion.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 9th, 2015.
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