World No. 2 Andy Murray was beaten by Japan’s Kei Nishikori in an epic five-set encounter in the quarter-finals of the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday. The Brit was beaten 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 in a match that lasted nearly four hours.
The Wimbledon champion and Olympic gold medallist was in sublime form throughout the tournament and was a definite in the final, according to many pundits. However, sixth seed Nishikori played some of his best tennis to get past Murray.
Murray’s concentration was hampered with rain and a sound system error during break point. The roof was shut owing to rain, which gave the Japanese player time to regain his composure against the second seed.
Serena beats Halep
World No. 1 Serena Williams beat fifth seed Simona Halep 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to progress to the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, where she will face10th seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic for a place in the final. Pliskova beat Croatian teenager Ana Konjuh 6-2, 6-2 for a spot in the last four.